Nami
by forgottensongs
Summary: [なみ : wave] What if Luffy and Nami had never teamed up? What if Arlong had killed all of the people of Cocoyashi save Nami? How would this ripple in events affect the dynamics of the infamous Straw Hat Pirates? Fate had a funny way of changing one's future after a missed encounter. Powerful!Luffy, Stronger!Nami, Strong!Crew. LuNa. Some one-sided ZoNa & SaNa.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Everything in One Piece belongs to Oda, not me. This is just my own (deluded) version of how I would change things in the One Piece universe. :)**

 **Without further ado, enjoy!**

 _ **"**_ _ **as the wind fends off the waves, i count down the days,**_

 _ **heavy stones**_ _ **fear no weather "**_

 **\- Of Monsters and Men,** ** _Empire_**

 **Ch 1 | Her First Encounter**

" **E** xcuse me, Miss?"

A teenage girl with short orange locks turned from her view of a small island to address the owner of the smooth voice.

"Hmm?" she responded, blinking in slight surprise.

A man with half-lidded eyes offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?" He bowed his head slightly and looked up at her expectantly.

The pretty girl inclined her head and, with a charming smile, held out her own hand to take his. A moment after she had taken her first step, a tremendous splash was heard from outside, followed by a dangerous rocking of the luxurious boat. Her supposed dancing partner let go of her hand and she stumbled forward onto him. He let out a high-pitched scream in her ear and the girl cringed.

Quickly regaining her footage, Nami could only make out the words "Pirate ship" and "shooting" before all hell broke loose. The elegant guests that attended the dinner all turned into mad men and women as they ran to save their own skins, trampling over one another to get to the exit.

Nami dodged the chaos, a smile playing on her lips, before running through an open doorway. She heard the sounds of a pirate ship drawing close and hooks anchoring to the fancy boat. Quickly, she hid herself in an empty hallway, sinking into the shadows. The hall smelled of freshly waxed wood and faint cologne.

Suddenly, the boat rocked violently to one side, as if something heavy had just gotten on board. A second later, a deep, gruff (yet still feminine) voice spoke: "Anyone who even tries to fight back will end up at the bottom of the ocean!"

She couldn't see the pirate, but Nami guessed this was the captain of the ship currently attacking them - a ship likely filled with valuable treasures.

Loud, hyena-like laughter followed the proclamation, and Nami smirked. Fools.

She whipped off her dress to reveal clothes more suited for a quick getaway: a black bandanna wrapped around her head, hiding her telling apricot hair, a blue long-sleeved shirt paired with dark pants and black combat boots. Silent as a cat, she slipped outside and found one of the grappling hooks connecting the two ships. Grabbing hold of the contraption on the rope, she positioned herself at the edge of the railing before leaping off the invaded boat and descending towards the abandoned pirate ship.

Once she was close enough, she swung off and hit the wooden floor running. Her treasure senses tingling, she passed two doors before coming to the one she thought hid the jackpot. Before she could enter, however, a scraggly man came out. Surprised, she let out a small gasp.

"Eh?" The man took an uncomfortably close look at her. "Never seen you around be- augh!"

Nami slowly lowered her leg and the man fell down clutching his nether regions. She held up her hand in an apology and chuckled sheepishly. Stepping over the pirate, Nami's chestnut eyes twinkled when she saw the load of gold, silver, diamonds and pearls on the floor, ready for her taking. Seemingly from nowhere, she whipped out a bag and began to shovel in anything that shined.

x

Luffy didn't know what to make of this large woman standing in front of him. All he knew was that he woke up from a the best nap of his life and now he was hungry. He wanted meat.

Ah.

Maybe the wimpy boy might know who she is. Maybe she can give him food. She must have some if she's this fat.

"Oi, who's this fat lady?" Luffy asked Coby.

Those who heard the words clearly said by Luffy could feel the sweat running down their temples. _Was this boy really that stupid? Did he_ want _to die?_ they wondered seriously. Coby could only shift his head back and forth between the enormous woman with growing veins on her head and the naive, straw-hatted boy.

"Y-you- you-" Alvida rasped out, face growing crimson. "YOU BRAAAT!"

She swung her weapon - a spiked metal bat - with the intent to kill. Luffy, wondering what her problem was, quickly jumped up to dodge it. He landed next to Coby, who looked like he was trying not to wet his pants.

"Let's go!" Luffy took the whimpering boy by the wrist and jumped up to the deck above them… only to meet more angry pirates.

"Ne, what's up with all of you?" The young boy scratched his head, moving his straw hat to the side, confused.

The pirates attacked. Luffy dodged them with ease, picking his nose. He felt a presence behind him and got annoyed. Reaching back, he grabbed the sneaky pirate by the head and threw him against his crewmates.

"S'Not fair to attack from behind!" Luffy exclaimed, despite having a huge smile on his face. It was a while since he felt the rush from a fight.

More pirates gathered in to attack from behind him, causing Luffy to run comically before grabbing a nearby pole and letting his arm stretch. The pirates looked confused, then scared, before trying to run away.

" _Gomu gomu no_ … " Luffy started, holding down his prized straw hat. " _ **Rocket**_!" His rubber body slammed into the fearful pirates and rendered them unconscious.

"What is this?!" came the thundering voice of Alvida. "Pathetic," she snarled, addressing her defeated crew, then turned to Luffy.

"You ate a devil fruit, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

"Hai!" Luffy affirmed. "I'm a rubber man!"

As the two pirates talked, a small shadow of a figure snuck out of one of the rooms aboard Alvida's ship, carrying with her a lumpy bag of treasures. Nami found a small sailboat hung on the pink ship's side and put her load inside. Scanning the area, she leaned her whole body weight onto the wheel-and-axle mechanism with ropes holding the boat, slowly bringing the small vessel down to the ocean. Then she slid down the length of the rope to gently land on the boat.

Success.

A loud splash was heard from far away. Nami assumed it was a cannonball fired at random. She started to tie a tight knot at the top of her bag of goods. This was sure to help by at least 30 million. Almost there.

 _Almost there, Bellemere-san._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy sound of wind rushing to her ears. She didn't even have time to look up as, seemingly from the sky, a boat splashed on the water right next to her. Nami let out a squeal as the saltwater soaked her clothes, lifting up her arm to futilely block the water.

Nami froze then, and time seemed to slow. Dark, intense eyes pierced straight into her own caramel-colored ones. She had the creepiest sense that this stranger could read her very soul. She barely had time to analyze the scar on his upper left cheek before a wave came crashing between them.

The sound shook her out of her stupor. She used the aftershock of the wave to lead her out into the open sea and out of the crossfire. The sails grasped the wind with an explosive _fwap!,_ leading the navigator further out to the sea. She angled the sails so that the boat moved in the direction of the island she was gazing at earlier.

As she sailed, settling in for an estimated 2-hour trip to land, she wondered what had happened to the pirate woman and how she would react to all her treasures being gone. After a second, Nami decided she didn't care.

x

 ** _[Minutes before…]_**

" _Coby!_ Who is the most beautiful woman in all of East Blue?" Alvida growled.

Still cowering, Coby looked to Luffy, who had saved him more times than he could count in the past five minutes. Luffy only stared back, his dark eyes blank.

 _Who are you?_

 _Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy - the man who will be Pirate King!_

 _E-ehhh?!_

Coby shut his eyes tightly. He gulped, fisting his hands tightly. He hesitated before answering. "Y-you are, Alvida…"

"That's ri-"

"Y-y-YOU are... the NUMBER ONE MOST STINKIN' _UGLY_ OLD HAG IN _ALL THE SEAS_!"

"E-EHHHH?!" Alvida yelled, indignant.

Luffy started laughing obnoxiously, slapping his knees and holding his stomach. This kid was funny.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY?!" Alvida gritted out, more ticks appearing on her face.

Coby, already figuring his life was over, drug up all his courage and screamed out mutinous words. "I WILL JOIN THE MARINES… AND FIGHT PIRATES LIKE YOU! I'll do what I want…! Grow stronger… then capture PIRATES LIKE YOU!"

"You little BRAT!" Alvida hollered, raising her spiky club. It swung towards Coby's head.

 _This is it. I have no regrets. I've said what I wanted to do - my dream! I have absolutely no regrets! No regrets!_

Coby clutched his head and prepared for the pain. But it never came.

He heard a voice in front of him say with a firm voice, "Well said."

Coby opened his eyes and almost had a heart attack. Luffy took the full brunt of the attack! But… why was he smiling?

"This doesn't affect me," Luffy stated. "'Cause I'm a rubber man! Shishishishi!"

The lanky boy with the straw hat pushed back the weapon with ease, then pulled back his right arm as far as he could go. " _Gomu gomu no…_ _**Pis-tollll**_!"

Coby and the remaining pirates of Alvida's crew watched as Luffy's fist connected with Alvida's bulging stomach and sent her flying towards the heavens. Their jaws slammed on the floorboards in shock.

"H-h-how…?!"

Luffy's arm snapped back and he snickered, a hand on his hat to keep it in place. "Shishishi."

 ** _[Back in the present…]_**

Luffy briefly wondered who the girl was on the other boat. But as the waves settled and she was nowhere to be seen, she soon disappeared from his thoughts.

"Coby! Where are we going now? I'm hungry!" Luffy stood abruptly, rocking the small boat and threatening to submerge them both. Coby sweatdropped. How did this guy survive this long alone, out in the ocean, and as a hammer to boot?

"W-wait, Luffy-san, I think there was an island over there we could land at."

"Yosh! To that island!"

"W-well, we have to steer the boat…"

"Yosh! Then steer the boat!" Luffy planted his foot at the mast and pointed in a vague direction that was completely opposite of the island.

"W-wait, Luffy-san…"

Coby sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

 **x. End of Ch 1 .x**

 **A/N: (Yes, I know, you guys hate A/Ns...) But you have to know: I love Nami. She is my favorite strawhat, (Luffy, a VERY close second *gasp* I know), although I do love all of Luffy's crew just as much as he loves them. However, I feel as though Nami has been underappreciated a lot of times. People who claim to be fans call her names and even treat her character badly in their stories. And I get it - sometimes, even I prefer the old Nami over this new buxom one that hides behind her crewmembers when she can DO SO MUCH MORE. I'm just begging Oda at this point to use Nami - such intelligence and skill should not be overlooked just because the target audience is a bunch of hormonal teenage boys. I'm not criticizing Oda, either, though. He has a plan, I know it, but it gets frustrating, waiting for a favorite character to finally realize her full potential. So I'm writing this story in order to curb my emotional wants lol. I realize that, Nami may never be perfect in our individually biased eyes, but that's what we have to get over. She's Luffy's navigator (and QUEEN *crosses fingers*) and I believe she is ultimately a good person (I'm acting like she's an actual person lmao). All I ask of you guys is to have an open mind.**

 **Thank you! ^^**

 _ **So, yes. I am keeping some parts the same, but for the next few chapters, you guys'll start to see where I go off and change it into my own little story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter - and hey, leave a review. If you didn't like it, leave a review (lol, me trying and failing to be subtle XD). Constructive criticism is very much appreciated! :))) Thank you again, fellow readers!**_

 _ **Ja ne,**_

 **forgottensongs**


	2. Chapter 2

" _**the miles will keep growing,**_

 _ **the crossing's your test,**_

 _ **one you haven't bothered passing yet"**_

 **\- unknown,** _ **Fleeing Juliet**_

 **Ch 2 | Her Evasion**

 **T** hey couldn't have arrived at the town fast enough. Between Luffy's constant groaning about being hungry - his stomach affirming it with loud growls - and Coby's newfound seasickness from such a small boat rocking so much, the boy all but kissed the boardwalk thankfully as Luffy tied the boat to a post.

"We're finally here," the straw hat-wearing boy declared, fists on his hips and gazing up at the town. It was relatively small, its streets paved with cobblestone and crowded with merchants selling artifacts. A building taller and that looked more sturdy than the other structures surrounding it was at the center of the town.

"Let's go, Coby," Luffy impatiently said, shooting a strange look at the defeated lump on the ground.

Coby groaned out a "hai" before looking up and seeing Luffy halfway across the town already. He rushed to get up. "O-oi! W-wait, Luffy-san!"

X.

At a small cafe located on the outskirts of Shells Town, sitting alone at a secluded table near the boarded windows, was a young woman wearing a beige coat and black headband. A single apricot curl slipped from the headband, prompting the girl to push it behind her ear. She sipped the cold coffee she had ordered hours ago and read the newspaper a News Coo had recently dropped off.

One would probably wonder why someone was wearing a jacket inside a warm cafe in the middle of spring, but Nami knew she had nothing to worry about. The people of this town were preoccupied with something else entirely.

Having been there for a couple hours, Nami's experienced ears caught a few whispered conversations about a Pirate Hunter being held at the Marine Base in the center of the island.

It was none of her business, but she wondered why the Marines would hold captive a person that searched for pirates and brought them to justice. And the villagers themselves seemed uneasy, almost restless. Nami dared to think that they almost looked… guilty.

Well, no time to ponder over it. She had her own problems to worry about. Taking another sip of her cold, bitter beverage, she planned her next action. The last she'd heard, Buggy the Pirate had a map of the Grand Line. In order for her to get the money, she needed that piece of paper. The newspaper stated that a small town North of here was being terrorized by a pirate with a big red nose…

A blast of warm air flew into the cafe as someone threw open the doors, interrupting Nami's train of thought. She looked up, annoyed, just as an obnoxious voice hollered, "Hara-hetta aaaa!"

She quickly covered her face with the newspaper, peeking over the gray pages to see the same strange boy who was on Alvida's ship. He got away, then. Finding it suddenly ridiculous to be hiding from someone who doesn't know her and vice versa, Nami lowered the newspaper and continued to formulate a plan…

But it was impossible with that obnoxious Straw Hat guy whining to a kid younger than him that he didn't have money to feed himself. Nami could hear the younger boy's exasperation.

"Then why did you come rushing in here, Luffy-san?"

"It smelled good in here. They must have meat," came the whiny voice. Nami could imagine him drooping over the counter with big puppy eyes.

"I only have a couple belli with me. It won't buy much…"

The only answer came from a growling stomach. She heard the boy sigh again. "What can we buy for this?"

The owner counted the money before saying, "One onigiri."

"We'll take it!" came the Straw Hat's voice.

 _Okay_ , Nami continued to think, _now that clown could be the one at this Orange Town… if I can steal the map there, I could double the amount of money in no time. It also wouldn't hurt to 'borrow' some of that Big Red Nose's treasure as well…_

"Ack! How could you just eat all of it in one bite?!"

"You should have bought more!" Another stomach growl. "I'm still hungry!"

Nami felt an annoying tick form at her temple. She shook with barely contained anger, hunching over and unintentionally crumpling up the newspaper in her hands. The waiter that had come to ask if she wanted another cup slowly backed away in fear.

"I don't have any more money, Luffy-san, and it serves you right to be hungry. Not even sharing what _I_ bought. You don't think I'm hungry, too?"

"Ehhh? You're saying this is my fault?!"

"Well you came here with no plan and no money so y-yeah! It is your fault!"

 _Bonk!_

"Why'd you hit me, Luffy-san?"

"Just because."

"..."

The two went head-to-head, growling at each other across the table. They felt a sudden dark aura next to them and looked up.

Coby almost wet his pants, and Luffy looked curious. A demon?

Nami looked down on them with disdain. Suddenly, she pulled out a wad of belli and slammed it on the table.

"Here. That should be enough to buy anything you want on the menu," she stated.

Immediately, Luffy's eyes turned into blinding sparkles. "Wow! Thanks, lady, you're pretty nice!"

Nami huffed, angrily pushing the escaped curl back behind her ear. "Just keep it down. You're bothering a lot of the customers." She turned and went back to her seat.

"Oi, ossan! We'd like to buy 10 more of those onigiri and some yakitori and lots and lots of meat!"

"A-and I'd like some donburi and sushi, please."

"Coming right up!"

When the steaming plate of food came five minutes later, the two drooled as the waiters set it on their table. They both clapped their hands together with their chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!"

They started devouring the food in seconds. "Oi, Luffy-san! That's mine! Hands off!"

"Don't be so stingy, Coby!"

Nami sighed. Those two weren't ever going to be quiet… She looked back at the crumpled newspaper. _Orange town, huh?_

The sound of something crashing on the floor made everyone stop to look towards the source. A little girl with brunette hair in pigtails and a striped dress looked embarrassed at the sudden attention. At her feet was a broken plate of ruined rice balls. A woman wearing an apron that Nami guessed was the mother came running to the girl.

"Rika! What in the world…?"

The little girl looked up with teary eyes. "Gomenasai, mommy. I dropped the plate so the food is ruined now."

The mother kneeled to give the girl a hug. "Oh, Rika, never mind that. I'm just glad you're alright. Who did you want to bring it to? We can make another batch."

"Roronoa Zoro-oniisan."

At the name, the temperature of the cafe seemed to drop several degrees. The few customers in the small establishment bent their heads to whisper to each other, shooting glares at the girl. The workers paused in what they were doing, holding their breath.

Luffy ate slower after the sudden shift in moods in order listen, still stuffing his face with food. Coby started to sweat a little. Nami inclined her head to hear a little better.

Rika's mother grasped the little girl by her arms and slightly shook her. "Rika." Her voice was firm and cold. "Never speak of that man again. And you may absolutely not give him any food."

Rika's bottom lip trembled. "But he's not a bad man, mommy. He tried to help-"

"Rika!" It was a worker in the kitchen who spoke this time. "Listen to your mother. Do you want us all in danger?"

The little girl shook her head, pigtails flying.

"Alright, then," the man nodded.

Rika sniffled, and her mother sighed, getting up.

"Roronoa Zoro?" a voice piped up, and Nami almost face-palmed. "Who's that?"

"Luffy-san!" Coby hissed. "Shut up!"

"Ehhh?" Luffy pouted. "But he sounds really cool."

"He is!" Rika suddenly yelled. Before her mom could silence her, she explained, "He got put in the Navy Base because he protected us!"

"Rika!"

"Whoa, really? He's here now?" Luffy asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, I can show him to you if you'd like," Rika said, a new determination in her voice.

Luffy shoveled the rest of the food in his mouth in one go. "Okay, kid!" he exclaimed after he swallowed.

Ignoring her mother's calls and Coby's protests, Rika took Luffy's hand to lead him to where the prisoner, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, was being held.

After a heated internal debate with himself, Coby decided to follow, his chair clattering to the floor in rushing to catch up.

"W-wait for me!"

Nami herself stood up, ready to leave not only this cafe but this town. She had a feeling that wherever that boy with the straw hat went, he created trouble. And she didn't want to get caught up in anything that distracted from her main mission.

A hand caught hers as she stepped out the doors.

"Wait!"

Nami looked back in surprise to find the older version of Rika looking at her pleadingly. She already knew what she was going to ask before she said it.

"I'm sorry, lady, I can't help you," Nami stated. No nonsense.

"Please," Rika's mother begged. "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I feel like I can trust you."

Nami almost laughed. She was the last person anyone should trust right now.

"I saw what you did back there. I'm sure you're a kind person. I just want my daughter back safe. Can you please make sure she comes back?"

Nami slowly slid her hand out of the woman's grasp. "Sorry," she repeated, although more reluctantly. "I can't help you."

She started walking away.

"I'll pay you!"

Nami stopped.

X.

"Luffy-oniisan is a pirate? You don't look like one," Rika said skeptically. "Pirates are scary."

"I'm going to find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!" Luffy told her. "I'm looking for a crew. Not sure how many members I'm going to have, but they'll all be with me when I find the One Piece. Maybe this Noah Rozo guy can be my first nakama," he said thoughtfully.

"Roronoa Zoro," Coby corrected. "And he's a pirate _hunter_ , Luffy-san. The first thing he'll want to do is capture you."

"He can't do that if he's already tied up by the Marines," Luffy said logically, completely missing the point. "I'll just ask him."

"T-this is s-such a bad idea," Coby whimpered.

The three of them were walking to the Base at the center of town. _We're deliberately heading for danger,_ Coby thought grimly.

"I mean," Coby continued. "Think about it. If they arrested the guy, it must be for a good reason, right? He must be dangerous. And we can't just go there to watch him l-like-like tourists!"

Luffy hummed. "I wonder if he's strong."

"Oh, yeah, very strong," Rika answered, swinging her arm with Luffy's. "He has three swords he carries around to fight people."

"Sugeee!" Luffy grinned, excited to see this guy.

Coby looked depressed. "You two aren't even listening to me."

"Hey, Rika, how do you know so much about that Rozo guy anyways?" Luffy wondered.

Rika looked down. "Zoro-oniisan actually protected my mom and I, and even the other people, from the Marines here. They're really mean to us, and sometimes they take all the money we make at the cafe. It makes mommy really sad."

At this, Coby grew quiet. As a boy who wanted to be a great Marine, it made him a bit uncomfortable to hear how the people that he regarded so highly were treating civilians badly.

"One day, this rich guy and his mean dog came to the cafe and attacked mommy and me. Zoro-oniisan protected us," Rika continued.

"He slashed the rich guy's clothes off," she giggled at the memory, "and then the guy had to run home naked. He was so mad, he told his dad about Zoro-oniisan. He lied though, because Zoro-oniisan was arrested for killing an innocent person. It was unfair! And no one stood up for him, no one told the truth! We all just watched him being beaten, and mommy told me to be quiet so that we wouldn't get a beating, too."

Remembering the events, Rika started to tear up. She used her sleeve to wipe her nose. She suddenly let go of Luffy's hand to pull out something mushy and white from the pockets of her striped dress. "I want to give him this, even if it's small. He hasn't eaten for days."

Luffy looked down at the smushed rice ball in her tiny hand and grinned. "Alright then, what're we waiting for? Let's keep going."

Coby even nodded, sniffing a little from the sad tale.

"Hm!" Rika agreed.

A large, gray brick wall soon came into their sights. Behind the fort was the Marine base, the navy's signature blue and white flag flapping in front of the gray building.

"Zoro-oniisan is behind that wall," Rika announced. "We need to-"

Before she could utter another word, Luffy had already stretched his arms to wrap around her little body and Coby's. Rika's eyes almost bugged out of her eye sockets as she screamed, pushing at the rubber appendages.

"L-luffy-oniisan, y-y-your arm!" Rika shrieked, horrified.

Coby, already used to the abnormal stretching, tried to calm her down even as he grew nervous as to what Luffy was about to do next. "Calm down, Rika. He ate a weird fruit that made him a rubber man so he can do stuff like that."

Luffy laughed, ignoring Rika's screams, and bent down to jump over the wall. "Here we go-"

Something abruptly whacked his head and Luffy's rubber neck lengthened as his head slammed to the ground. He let go of his two loads to clutch his head in pain.

"Itaii! Oi, that hurt!" he yelled in surprise. He was rubber, so why did that hurt?!

"Hold it right there, you rubber demon," a female voice said sternly.

Luffy turned around, still hunched on the ground, to see the orange-haired girl from the cafe earlier. She towered over him, small fist still up and a hand on her hips as she scowled.

 _What's her problem?_ Luffy thought warily.

As if she could hear his thoughts, Nami's frown deepened. "Are you really going to see that prisoner?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied simply.

"Well, you can do it without the girl," Nami said, pointing at Rika, who was still in shock over Luffy's strange power. "I need to bring her back to her mother."

At the mention of her mom, Rika finally snapped out of it. "Wait, onee-san. I still need to give this to Zoro-oniisan." She pulled out the poor excuse of a rice ball and held it triumphantly. "He needs to eat."

Nami sighed. "Isn't it possible the marines have already, er, fed him?" she tried to convince Rika.

The little girl shook her head. "I know they starve him. That way he has no energy to fight."

Nami suddenly felt uneasy and turned to see the pirate she just pounded, shamelessly staring at her. She opened her mouth, ready to teach him some manners, when he spoke first.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?" he wondered, cocking his head in confusion.

At this Nami grew nervous. "What? No. We've never met."

"Actually I feel like I've seen you somewhere, too," Coby piped up. "Weren't you… hmmm, no…"

"Listen," Nami said quickly, before they could pinpoint her. "I just came for the girl. I'll be out of your hair in a-" She stopped when she saw the space next to Luffy empty.

"Where is she?!"

The three looked around and didn't find any sign of the little girl. Nami ran a hand over her hair, stressed, and very aware that she was wasting time.

"She climbed over the wall, damn it," she muttered, and Coby, having heard, panicked.

"What?! She's all alone with Roronoa?!" he yelled, hands on his cheeks in horror. "They say he's a demon in all forms, and that his swords can even slice up steel! He's probably cutting her up to eat her right now - he hasn't eaten so he doesn't even care if she's human. Oh, it's too late-"

Luffy punched him on his head.

"... Why'd you hit me, Luffy-san?"

"Just because."

"Alright," Nami resolved. "We need to get her." She made a deal with the mother and needed to hold up her end. She might've been a thief, but she was by no-means a person who dishonored a deal. Pirates did that.

And she hated pirates.

Without warning, Luffy wrapped his arms around her waist and barely gave her time to protest before he coiled his legs and jumped the wall.

X.

When they landed, Luffy received another hard punch to the head.

"Oww! Why do you keep hitting me?!"

"A little warning next time, idiot!" Nami yelled, her heart still racing. Coby himself just regained consciousness after a short period unconsciousness from the rush.

Nami composed herself after hearing Rika crying. She looked over to see the small bundle of blue stripes on the ground, an ugly blond man with a double chin and bowl haircut laughing at her. Nami felt her blood unexpectedly boil.

"Rika!" she called, running towards her. Quickly taking the girl into her arms, she whipped around to sneer at the man. "What'd you do to her?"

The man brushed invisible dust off his purple suit. "Feeding a prisoner is condemnable to two months in prison. I let her off with a warning."

Rika's small hands clutched Nami's shirt, curling more into her. Nami could see a bruise forming on her cheek. "You-!"

Before she could do anything, a figure to the right of her moved. Nami stumbled back with Rika.

Coby's strangled voice drifted from behind her as she gaped, unable to speak.

"Green haramaki… dark hood… deadly aura… it's him."

The man lifted his head, his eyes promising death even with the thick ropes binding his arms behind him. His white shirt was stained with blood and dirt, his legs left free and mobile. The bruises on his arms and face only made him more menacing.

"R-r-roronoa Zoro," Coby whispered.

"Ooo, is that him?" came Luffy's voice. "Huh? Where are his cool swords?"

Said man spit on the ground before sending a glare at the blond jerk. "Oi. Navy brat. You ruined my lunch."

"N-navy brat?!" the man stuttered, outraged. "I'll have you know that I'm the valuable son of Captain 'Axe Hand' Morgan, head of this Navy base. You have no right, Roronoa Zoro, to address me by any other name than 'Helmeppo-sama'."

Helmeppo looked down, and Nami noticed the traces of white on the dirt: the remainders of the rice cake. With a smirk, Helmeppo smushed the food further into the ground. Rika let out a whimper.

Nami blinked.

It was so swift, Nami wasn't even sure it happened until Helmeppo face ended up scrambled in the dirt. Zoro's legs had swung up to grab the guy's neck and bring him down in one smooth, powerful move. Helmeppo squirmed under the weight of Zoro's boots.

Luffy's laugh echoed across the courtyard.

Sensing things were getting dangerous - well, even more than they already were - Nami slowly retreated, Rika still in her arms.

Helmeppo escaped from Zoro just as her back pressed against the wall. Humiliated and angry, the blond man elbowed the defenseless Zoro in the stomach. Zoro only grunted, gritting his teeth.

Then Helmeppo was punching his jaw, kicking his chest. Right as he was about to deliver a blow that would have all men screaming for the heavens, Helmeppo himself got a tooth-knocking punch to the face.

He flew to the side, rolling a few feet before stopping. He stood up slowly, holding his jaw, to face his attacker.

"W-who're you?" he said, now noticing the boy in the straw hat. Coby stood near Zoro and almost pitied him for his situation until Zoro glowered at him. He squeaked and shifted closer to Luffy.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's going to be the next Pirate King! And I've decided," Luffy started.

"Zoro!" He turned to the pirate hunter. "Join my crew!"

X

With Rika on her back, Nami scaled the wall and arrived to the top. She looked back when she heard the boy with the straw hat declare his dream and ask the pirate hunter to join him.

It surprised her - him? A pirate?

But that would explain why he was with Alvida before. Or fighting her. Whatever. Still, it was hard to believe.

 _No matter_ , Nami thought grimly. _All pirates are the same, and if he's one, then I hate him, too._

She glanced to her right and saw a tree she could climb down. Rika was trying to look back to see Zoro.

"Are they alright, onee-san?" she asked worriedly.

Without looking back this time, Nami answered, "They're both demons, so they'll be alright. I don't know about the shorty, though."

She swung down the branches and landed roughly on the ground, Rika's extra weight making her grunt. "Let's get you to your mom."

Even though they were on safe ground, Rika didn't want to be put down. Instead, she climbed all the way up to Nami's shoulders, her hands fisting on her short orange strands.

"Ow! Hey!" Nami protested, her hands flying up to get the girl down.

"I like the view up here," Rika explained.

"Otou-san used to let me ride on his shoulders." She played with Nami's hair. "But now he's gone so I can't do it anymore. Mommy only lets me go on her back."

Nami let her arms fall back to her side, then reached up to secure Rika's legs to her shoulders. The streets were busy even in the afternoon heat, and Nami took the opportunity to do some quick work.

When they passed a teriyaki stand, Rika's stomach growled and Nami sighed. She reached into her jacket to pull out some belli from one of the many wallets she had pickpocketed, asked for two sticks of the meat, and gave one to the girl.

"Ah, arigato," Rika thanked as she munched.

Nami took a bite out of her own and walked back to the cafe. Before she opened the door to the cafe, Rika's mother came running up to her.

"Rika? Oh, thank you so much! Oh, thank you, um… eto…"

The woman's cheeks tinged red when she realized she didn't know this stranger's name. Nami smiled. She didn't want to admit it, but she really only accepted the woman's request because she had seen how desperate she was - enough to ask a stranger for help.

Nami helped Rika down and the little girl ran to her mom.

Nami's smile grew sad.

"It's Nami."

"O-oh yes! Thank you, Nami! And, um…"

The woman searched her apron pocket before pulling out 200,000 belli, but Nami was already shaking her head. "No, keep it."

"Oh, but I want to-"

"I'm serious," Nami said firmly, gently pushing the hand back. "You need it much more than I do. Besides, you remind me of someone, and I'd feel uncomfortable taking it from you. Take care of Rika."

The mother nodded. Rika started pouting, sad. "You're leaving, Nami-oneesan?"

"Yup. But you don't have to be sad. I don't know when, but I'll be back. So take care of your mother until then, Rika. Don't make her worry."

"Mm!" Rika promised.

Nami waved, then disappeared in the crowd.

X.

Rika's mother watched Nami's form blend into the crowd, then went back into the cafe.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" A navy officer asked.

Rika gasped. Filling up the cafe were a whole squadron of marines.

They had been specially invited to a lunch in this cafe, but Rika's mother had another secret motive. Huddled in one corner were a handful of the town's people and the staff of the cafe.

"Not quite," Rika's mother answered, holding Rika closer to her. She smiled down at her daughter. She decided to do the right thing.

"A man… Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, in fact, was wrongly imprisoned a week ago. He is getting executed tomorrow for something he did not do. We want you to know the truth, Captain Morgan…"

X.

Nami pickpocketed a few more people before buying a few provisions for the trip to the next island. After a while, the streets seemed to get more crowded.

 _For such a small town, this place sure has a lot of people._

"-Zoro to be free before his execution! She's trying to convince the Captain to release him right now! Is Ririka crazy?"

Nami stopped to listen, tuning her ears to two guys murmuring amongst each other. Something was going on. Rika's mother was talking to the Navy Captain?

"What? Do you think the Captain Morgan will listen?"

"He has to! He is a righteous and just man."

"Still, I don't think Roronoa Zoro should be freed. Murderer or not, he shouldn't be walking around with swords-"

Nami stopped listening, shaking her head. If Zoro had accepted that rubber boy's offer, he wasn't a pirate hunter anymore. He was a pirate. The guy with the straw hat didn't look like the type to keep his identity secret. She could already see the disaster ahead.

And now there were Marines all over the place. They strolled out from the cafe and headed towards the base. A big guy wearing a metal mask on his jaw stood out from them, wearing a white cape. _He must be the Captain,_ Nami observed.

Other officers went to control the crowd, urging them to go back to their homes.

Nami pulled the jacket's hood over her face, propping the bag of food on her shoulder. Things were about to get crazy, and she couldn't be anywhere near it.

"Hey, you!"

She turned around. Her mistake.

The light breeze blew off her hood and she scrambled to put it back on, realizing that a Navy officer had called her. The man held the apple that had fallen from her bag and she snatched it from his hand, clearing her throat.

"Uh, thank you," she muttered. She started walking away.

The man behind her stayed where he was, the same look of confusion on his face that that pirate Luffy had on his face. The look of recognizing someone, but not quite putting a finger on it.

Nami walked faster, pushing past more people, putting as much distance as possible between the marine and her.

A sudden cry pierced the air and she knew her cover was blown.

"Stop! Thief! I-it's Cat Burglar Nami!"

"Cat Burglar Nami?"

The marine drew out a brown flyer from his coat. It showed a young girl sticking out her tongue playfully, dirt on her face and hair but eyes shining triumphantly as she carried a sack over her shoulder most likely filled with treasure.

It got passed to the other officers. "She has a 16 million beli bounty! After her!"

Nami ran.

She didn't care now, as her hood flew back, and discarded the whole jacket into the wind. She carried the bag all the way to the docks, where her small boat was floating. Ignoring the cries of marine men, she quickly set the bag in the boat and untied it from its post.

She could feel the wind picking up, but knew it wasn't enough for a quick getaway. After releasing the sails, Nami propped the wooden paddles on the boat's sides and began to row.

The marines stopped at the docks, apparently debating whether or not to go after her. Nami smirked, rowing a little slower as a gust of wind carried her several yards more.

As she got further and further away, she saw a little figure run up to the shore, waving at her. How did she get there so fast? Nami could barely hear her yell.

"-mi-onee-san! See you later! Nami-onee-san!"

"See you, Rika," Nami whispered.

She sailed away.

X.

Luffy heard a commotion outside the walls and looked over, briefly wondering about that one angry girl and Rika. Helmet Hippo's voice brought him back.

"My father will execute you both!" he was saying, still clutching his jaw.

Luffy looked at him, then turned to Zoro. "So, Zoro-"

"Don't ignore me!"

"- whaddaya say?"

Zoro examined the lanky boy and thought of his offer. " To be on a crew with the Pirate King, huh? What an honor," he replied sarcastically.

The tight restraints around his arms were sore and Zoro decided he was bored with staying here. He had a promise to fulfill, after all, for a certain someone.

"I don't really want to part of the scums of the sea, but I don't have a choice, do I?"

"You do," Luffy said. "You can either be killed here by the Marines, or come with me. Your pick, shishishi."

Zoro smirked. "You're the true son of the devil! Alright, fine - I'd rather be a pirate than die here!"

A grin split Luffy's face and he jumped around with joy. "Yatta! My first nakama! Alright, this is perfect!" he rejoiced happily.

For a second, Zoro's face blanched. "First?"

Luffy stopped yelling and smiled at him. "Yeah, you're the first to join. We're going to find other crewmembers on the way!"

Luffy looked at him for a long second. "You can't back out!" he suddenly shouted.

"I wasn't going to!" Zoro yelled back, indignant, but not wanting to admit he had thought about it. Being on a ship with this kid seemed like a death wish. He hoped this guy knew what he was doing.

Zoro shifted. "I need my swords before I go. The marines took them to that building."

"Okay! I'll get them for you," Luffy said as he ran in the opposite direction. Zoro didn't notice but Coby did.

"Luffy-san, the base is that way," the boy said.

"Ah?"

Luffy suddenly stretched his arms all the way across the courtyard, grabbing a post near the base. " _Gomu gomu no…_ _**Rocket**_!"

He flew past Zoro, hollering at Coby to untie his new nakama.

 _What the hell is this guy?!_ Zoro and Helmeppo thought.

Coby did as Luffy requested, working to untie Zoro's ropes, when he was stopped by Helmeppo.

"Hold it right there! I will not simply allow a prisoner to escape under my watch. You and that Monkey boy will both be executed with Roronoa," he proclaimed.

"Ah," Luffy suddenly said, before he entered the building. "I almost forgot."

He stretched his arm to Helmet Hippo and wrapped his arm around his shoulders all the way to his waist, trapping the rich jerk's arms against his own body.

"You're coming with me!"

"AHHHH!" Helmeppo screamed.

Carrying his load like a sack of potatoes, Luffy entered the building, which was surprisingly vacant. He looked around, then looked down at his unwilling guide. "Where did they put Zoro's swords?"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW? LET ME GO!" Helmeppo shrieked, squirming.

Luffy ran in no particular direction. "For the navy captain's son, Helmet Hippo, you're pretty useless."

"WHAT WAS THAT?! AND IT'S HEL-MEP-PO!"

"Where's that place you people put your weapons?" Luffy questioned him.

"You mean the _armory_? Like I would ever tell you," Helmeppo scoffed. "And besides, that would be the last place the officers would put it in because we know it's the first place you would look. We're not stupid like you pirates!"

Luffy grew tired of Helmet Hippo and stopped. He didn't let go of him but stood him upright so that they faced each other. "Oi."

Helmeppo looked up and almost soiled himself.

 _T-this guy,_ he thought, shaking. _He's not messing around. What's his deal?_

He saw Luffy's eyes and was reminded of all of the fears he never knew he had. He quickly looked away, suddenly fearing for his mortal life.

"U-u-um… t-the a-a-armory was it?" he stuttered. "R-right this way."

He nodded his head left, to a corridor that led to the main hallway.

Luffy's face transformed into a happy one and if he didn't still feel like a fish that lost its fins, Helmeppo would've thought that what he saw was an illusion.

 _Who was that kid really?_

X.

"Hurry up, kid, I can hear them coming," Zoro said between gritted teeth.

"I'm trying," Coby replied, "but the knots are too… knotted!"

Coby was sweating profusely, and not just from the heat. The commotion from outside the walls was getting closer, and he deduced that the Marines finding him like this - trying to help a criminal escape - probably wasn't the best way to introduce himself and his dream to become like them.

But technically, Zoro wasn't a criminal, right? So maybe he could explain…

The footsteps got louder and his wishful thinking flew out of his head. They were both going to get shot on the spot!

Where was Luffy?

No.

For once, he needed to do this without the rubber man coming to his aid. Marines suddenly came from the building where Luffy just went in with Helmeppo.

 _Did he get caught?_ Coby wondered. If so, it's even more important for him to do this alone.

They surrounded Coby and Zoro, gun barrels pointed at them. Coby gulped nothing and stood up.

He dug his heels further into the ground and stood, arms spread, in front of Zoro.

"Oi, kid, what are you doing?" Zoro demanded.

"I-I don't know," Coby replied, and truthfully he didn't. He just resolved that he wouldn't run or hide and be protected, especially when another person was just as defenseless. Luffy was always protecting him.

Now it was his turn to protect Luffy's first crewmate.

A thundering voice then came from the building.

"Stand down, men!"

A seven-foot tall muscular man stepped out, white cape billowing about him. His heavy steps approached the group and the Marines made way for him. His axe hand swung down and stopped just a few inches in front of the shaking Coby.

Zoro tried to look around Coby to see the man.

Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan spoke then.

"This man… was wrongly convicted!"

X.

"Hup!" Luffy lightly grunted as he jumped over two marine soldiers.

He looked back as one of them shouted for more reinforcements. "Where did they all come from?" he asked, looking down at Helmeppo.

"Did you call them, Helmet Hippo?" Luffy cocked his eyebrow in suspicion.

Helmeppo squirmed. "O-of course not! How could I, being dragged around like this? They must be here because I had been gone for too long and Father sent them for me. I am important, after all," he drawled.

"We have to hurry, they must be after Zoro! I can't have my first nakama killed!"

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Helmeppo yelled, ticks appearing on his head. He sighed, giving up and hanging limp like a rag doll. After a while he said, "Left."

Luffy turned left and stopped abruptly.

He had entered a room filled with guns and ammo, bombs and gunpowder. His eyes sparkled and he let Helmeppo go. "SUGEEEE!"

"Hey!" Helmeppo hollered as he fell to the ground.

Luffy ran around the room, admiring his romance - swords, spears, even armor. He had to try them on!

"Oi," Helmeppo said, sweat dropping. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Luffy snapped out of his trance, looking back at his captive with a pout. "Oh yeah."

He put down the armor and shield and started looking for Zoro's swords. There were a lot, and nothing quite stood out. What had Rika said again…? A glint by the corner of the room caught Luffy's eye.

Helmeppo stood by the door, shaking his head, arms crossed. "I'm telling you, they're not here. We're not stupid enough to-"

"Found them!"

Helmeppo's mouth dropped on the ground.

Luffy held the three deadly swords in his arms. "Rika said he had three and these were the only ones that were together." Simple logic, of course.

Marine voices came from the corridor. "This way!"

Luffy grinned, settling the swords on one arm and grabbing Helmeppo again.

"Time to go!"

He ran out the door and turned towards a set of stairs.

"Wrong way! That leads to the roof!'

"Only way," Luffy said. The Marines were behind them, their footsteps pounding the floor, and it'd be hard to fight with both his hands occupied. Not impossible, but hard. So Luffy started climbing.

He got to the roof and saw a statue being lifted with ropes by struggling Marines. Helmeppo saw the statue as well and his eyes grew wide. He squirmed around to look at Luffy.

"Don't you dare! It's my Father's so-"

Too late, Helmepo was dragged with Luffy as the straw-hatted boy ran towards the base of the statue to land on Captain Morgan's rock chest, safe from the Marines below. Luffy set Helmeppo down and the latter freaked.

"What have you done? If we even get a scratch on this, my father will kill us both! No, just you!" He changed tactics, hysterical.

"That's right," Helmeppo reasoned. "I was just an unwilling victim in all this."

Luffy picked his nose, wondering how they could get down to Zoro. From up here, he could see that the both Coby and his new nakama were surrounded. Zoro was still tied to the post.

"What are you looking at over there?" Helmeppo demanded. He pulled himself further up to look over the statue's shoulder. He could see his father standing with a bunch of Marines and almost cried.

"Father! Father! Help! This pirate has kidnapped me!" he hollered down. To Luffy he said, "Now you'll get it, Mugiwara."

Unknown to them, the Marines were struggling even harder to hold the stone statue up. With the extra weight leaning at the top, the statue started to crack.

X.

"Fatherrr! Fatherrr!"

Captain Morgan looked up to see the owner of the annoying voice. Seeing as it was just his son, he went back to talking business.

"A woman and some of the townspeople told me," he continued, "that they had witnessed your heroic actions and that the accusations against you were false."

Zoro stayed quiet, as did Coby.

"They requested that you be released before your execution tomorrow. Of course, as a Captain of Justice, I told them that their worries should be put to rest, for I would take care of the matter. Their consideration for you, Pirate Hunter, is surprising. So, Roronoa Zoro, you will not be executed tomorrow."

Coby breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your execution will be today."

The guns came back up at the signal, the Captain's thick palm above his head. Coby could feel himself about to faint. Why was the Captain doing this?

"I can't have citizens trusting a criminal more than their own Navy leader," the Captain explained, as if hearing Coby's internal question.

"'Please, save him! He's innocent!'" He mocked the people of Shells Town.

"Am I not respected here? Huh? Roronoa?! Enough that they beg for a prisoner to be released and doubt my judgment?! I'll have them see what happens when they think they can go and make their own justice!"

Captain Morgan turned to his men. "Today, men, just as I was about to release him, Roronoa Zoro escaped with his little companion and cut down two of my men!"

Without warning, his axe arm came down and slashed two of his own men across their chests. They went down.

The officers looked up in horror, unable to move or speak as their Captain's eyes crinkled, the jaw brace he wore hiding his menacing grin.

He started to laugh, throwing his bloody axe hand up towards the sky.. "As a result, my men shot the criminal and the boy. Justice… was served."

Coby fainted.

X.

"He must not be able to hear me," Helmeppo moped.

It was hard to think for Luffy, and after a while he stopped. "Hey, Helmet Hippo, how can we get down there?"

Helmeppo whipped his head to stare at Luffy. "How about you turn yourself in? If we don't get off this statue soon-"

Just as he said this, a great big _crack!_ was heard. Helmeppo squeaked.

The top of the statue started to slide down off the building. It hung dangerously high from the ground.

"Hey, you're doing it!" Luffy said, seeing the ground get closer. He held on to Zoro's swords and his hat to keep it from sliding off his head.

"I'm not doing it, you imbecile! The statue's going doooowwwwnn!"

Captain Morgan's stone chest broke in half and started its descent to the ground.

X.

"Hey, kid, snap out of it!" Zoro yelled at Coby, who was still unconscious. He moved Coby's head with his boot but the boy just didn't wake up.

"Well, that's one down," Morgan chuckled darkly. He held his axe up, the metal glinting off the sun. "Any last words Roronoa?"

A shadow passed over the sun and Zoro glanced up. He had to force himself not to bug his eyes out and risk warning the Captain of the incoming projectile. The scream was faint but got louder.

"-ahhhhh-"

"I thought I was supposed to get shot," Zoro smirked.

"-aaaAAAHH-"

Captain Morgan stiffened. "Don't be a smartass, Roronoa. Face your death."

"AHHHHHHHH! FATHER!"

"What the-?!"

The captain looked up just in time to have his own face slam into his body, burying him into the ground. The rock crumbled into smaller rocks and the rubble clattered onto Coby and Zoro. The former woke up in a daze.

"W-what-" Coby murmured, in a daze. He looked around him, for a second thinking that he was somewhere else entirely. The whole courtyard was filled with gravel dust and rocks. Luffy sat on a heaping pile of rubble, covered in gray-white dust.

"Luffy-san?!"

"Shishishi! That was fun!"

Luffy hopped off one of the stones, dusty but unharmed. "Found your swords, Zoro!"

Helmeppo groaned from the pile. He looked down and saw one of his father's eyes staring back at him. He grimaced, quickly shuffling to get off the stones. "F-father…'

Helmeppo turned to Luffy. "Look what you did you-"

"Luffy-san, hurry!" Coby interrupted, still frantic. "They just tried to execute Zoro and I just now."

"Eh? Why?"

"That Captain is crazy!" was Coby's response, stopping a moment from trying to untie Zoro. His small form began to shake.

"I'm no Marine," he said, "but even I know that you should never turn on your comrades! It's an absolute dishonor to the Marines!"

"Shut your mouth, boy," came the voice of Captain Morgan, rising from the rubble. His form dripped with scratches and blood from his wounds. "Before you say something you'll regret."

Helmeppo came to help his father up, dusting him off. Morgan looked at him coldly. "Look what they did, father. You should execute them all-"

The Captain landed a punch across his son's face that pushed him to the end of the courtyard.

"Gauugh!" Helmeppo spit out blood.

"Helmet Hippo!" Luffy yelled.

Coby only untied the knots faster.

Luffy took one of the swords and cut the ropes. "You take too long, Coby."

Coby sighed, head dropping in relief. Luffy always saved him.

The straw hat boy thrusted the swords at his newly freed First Mate, still staring at the crumpled heap that was Helmeppo. He fixed a glare, then, to Captain Morgan.

Morgan ordered his men to attack.

"Kill them! Kill them all for disgracing my name and statue!" He crushed the remains of his statue into dust.

The Marines officers hesitated, but pulled their triggers after a second. The bullets came at high speed towards the group.

Luffy took the first round of bullets, letting them pelt him. He hunched over, seemingly in pain.

The second round flew at Zoro, and the swordsman closed his eyes as he walked through all of them, crossing his arms once.

Captain Morgan started laughing maniacally. "Yes! Kill them all!"

"HUp!" Luffy said. "Just kidding." He lifted his face and grinned.

"Have them BACK!" The bullets bounced back with twice the speed and power to the Marines. They fell over with various wounds.

"What? What are you?" Morgan demanded.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who is going to be Pirate King! I ate the gomu-gomu fruit so I'm a rubber man!"

He ran towards Captain Morgan, his grin replaced with a scowl. "And I'm gonna kick your ass!"

X.

On Zoro's side, Coby looked at the unscathed swordsman.

A tinkling sound on the ground led him to look down.

A gold shell casing, split cleanly in half.

As he continued to look, Coby found the shells littered all around Zoro, cut into two.

Coby gaped in shock. _Such precision! Roronoa Zoro … Just how powerful is he?_

Zoro put his third sword between his teeth. Coby gasped, not believing his eyes. Rika's voice came into his head.

" _He has three swords he carries around to fight people."_

 _There it is… the sword style rarely used, if ever - Santouryou!_ Coby thought, in complete admiration of the skill.

The marines waited, but since he didn't attack, they ran towards him. Their guns useless, they used their swords and slashed at him. Only... they couldn't. Their swords were stuck.

Zoro smirked. In one swift move, he brought all the swords down, some of them getting cut in half, useless. "What dull swords," he remarked.

Now defenseless, the marines trembled in fear. Zoro ran towards them, slicing through, and when he came back out, all of the clothes of the officers had fallen off. They were left in only their underwear. They all ran off in embarrassment and Zoro sighed, taking his sword out of his mouth.

"Well, that wasn't much of a challenge," he said in disappointment, yawning. Coby looked on in awe.

"Tell me when Luffy's done," Zoro told Coby, settling by the post he was originally tied up on.

"S-sure," Coby said, watching as Zoro pulled his bandana over his eyes and promptly started snoring.

 _H-he FELL ASLEEP?!_ Coby thought in dismay, a large sweat dropping from his head. _T-this guy is something else…_

X.

Luffy and the navy captain stood at opposite sides, only a few yards from each other. A slight wind blew the dust in the middle of the two

"Helmet Hippo admired you! He kept saying you would save him!" Luffy suddenly yelled.

"Ha! That poor excuse of a son?!" cackled Captain Morgan. "The only reason I hadn't hit him earlier was because he wasn't even worth the effort or attention!"

"But, Mugiwara, why do you care? Don't you hate him, too? After all, he was the one responsible for getting Roronoa Zoro imprisoned here."

Luffy clenched his fists. "Anyone who hurts a friend with no regret is unforgivable!"

"Friend? Don't make me laugh, Mugiwara!" He was already laughing. "How long have you known my bastard son? Ten minutes? How could he possibly be your-"

"Enough talk!" Luffy yelled, impatient. He cracked his knuckles.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" he repeated.

X.

Helmeppo lied on the dirt, crumpled on the ground. He had heard everything that the Monkey brat and his father had said - as well as his father's view of him.

He painfully shifted his body enough to see a blur of red in the distance, the straw hat-wearing boy standing to fight against his father. Helmeppo reflected upon what his father and Luffy said and found that he surprisingly agreed with his father.

He was a good-for-nothing nobody.

And friend?

Helmeppo would scoff if he could.

What could have possibly made that stupid boy think that he was his friend? Perhaps it was because he had helped find Roronoa Zoro's swords? But even then, he tried to discourage the stupid Monkey brat.

And after all that he had done and said to him? How could he even consider… how could he stand there and defend him?!

Slowly, Helmeppo lifted up a trembling hand, closing it into a fist.

Tears and snot streaming down his face, Helmeppo smiled brokenly. He hoped Luffy could see him.

 _Thank you… Luffy-san. Win this fight!_

X.

Luffy whipped his arm to throw a punch but it landed on the Captain's Axe. Grunting, Luffy squinted as he leaned his whole body in the punch. From the corner of his eye, he could see Helme Hippo raise his hand into a fist. Luffy grinned, understanding immediately.

"Of course!" he answered out loud.

The axe started to crack.

"Nani?!" Captain Morgan yelled, shocked. That's all he could do as Luffy's punch broke through the metal to crush his jaw brace and throw him up into the air. The Captain's large frame flew up in the air, blocking the sun.

Luffy then coiled his legs and jumped further than he threw the Captain, coming up just above him.

" _Gomu gomu no…_ _**Leg Axe**_!" Luffy whipped his leg up and brought it down with all his strength. Morgan coughed up blood in midair before shooting down like a bullet to the ground. The impact caused a small crater to form, and subsequently waking up Zoro from his short nap.

"Huh? Morning already?"

"YOU WERE JUST IN A FIGHT!" Coby couldn't resist yelling. The swordsman didn't look all that intimidating with a slight bed head and sleepy eyes.

"Oi, senchou," Zoro called. "All set to go ?"

Luffy settled his straw hat more firmly on his head. "Yeah!"

Captain Morgan laid spread-eagled in the middle of the crater, unconscious, white irises looking up at the cloudless blue sky. He was defeated.

Zoro got up and strolled to his chuckling captain. As they walked away - Luffy, of course, complaining that he was hungry - Coby stayed behind.

The short boy looked at the two monsters and the wreck they caused around them. Luffy and his crew would be a force to reckon with, Coby could already tell.

And it would be his job to stop them.

He glanced at the fallen Marines and from the corner of his eye, Coby could see a hurt Helmeppo trying to get up. He could make this right.

If he wanted to become a great Marine, he couldn't be following pirates around… even if that pirate was his friend.

Coby stared at the retreating back of Monkey D. Luffy, the familiar open red vest waving in the slight breeze. Zoro walked beside him now.

Unwanted tears welled up in his eyes. He could feel the snot dripping down his nose and he sniffed before taking a deep breath:

"LUFFY-SAN!"

Luffy turned around, confused.

"I'M STAYING HERE!" Coby cried. ""What I saw today… doesn't mean my dream has changed! I'm still going to pursue true justice!"

Luffy's face stayed blank. Zoro stopped ahead, a slight smile on his face as he looked at the crying boy.

"I'll get stronger… and won't need any saving…! The next time we meet, Luffy-san, I'll be a marine…" Coby sniffled, "and you'll still be a pirate!"

He looked up in fierce determination, snot running down his nose and meeting Luffy's eyes even through the tears that didn't stop.

"So watch your back, Pirate King! I'll be right behind you to catch you!"

At this, Luffy grinned from ear-to-ear. "Shishishi!"

He raised one arm in a gesture of goodbye. "See you later, Coby. Train hard!"

Coby sobbed.

X.

 **End of Chapter 2**

 **X.**

 _ **I just had to finish this… even at 4:30 in the morning.**_

 _ **(slowly sinks into bed) Please… review… Zzzz... construct-ehh(snore)-ive criticismmm appreshiayytedd...**_

 _ **AH! And before i forget, i need your guys' opinions:**_

" **Berri" or "Belli" ?**

 _ **I looked on Wiki and saw Belli first so i used it, but I want to know which one is more "officially correct" I guess :p**_

 _ **Thank you! (and good night, er, morning. whatever.)**_

 **forgottensongs**


	3. Chapter 3

" _ **And the scars of her past, hidden**_

 _ **under her clothes,**_

 _ **are a roadmap to places,**_

 _ **That nobody knows"**_

 ** _-_ e.h.**

 **x**

 **Ch 3 | Her Resentment**

" **G** et her!"

The sound of swords sliding out of their sheaths and incoming rush of footsteps warned Nami that she didn't have much time. Her boots pounded the ground as she wormed through the deserted alleys, hoping to lose her hunters in the brick maze.

The lumpy bag slung over her back clanged and jingled (like _music_ to her ears), but Nami cared more for the dirty piece of paper stored between the rim of her pants, hidden beneath her dark blue shirt. Treasure in the Grand Line was a lot more abundant with those reckless pirates sailing out in packs, all in search of a fabled treasure.

Nami had heard many tales of the deceased Pirate King Roger and his discovery of the One Piece. But a treasure that no one but a dead guy and his disbanded crew had seen was a treasure that wasn't worth her time - and thief had very little of even that.

Arlong had expected her back two days ago, after all.

Nami cursed as she rounded the corner and almost ran into a brick wall. She panted, her mind working quickly to get out of the predicament she had landed herself in. It was supposed to be a grab-and-go job but once again, her greed got the best of her…

Still, she wasn't sorry. It's not like she was stealing from people in need.

The angry voices came nearer and, gently setting down her load of treasure, Nami whipped out three wooden batons from a strap on her thigh. Quickly assembling the pieces, she put down the stolen bag and pressed her back against the wall, hands tight on her bo staff.

She closed her eyes, inhaling then exhaling deeply.

She willed her heart to stop racing and focused on the heavy steps of her pursuers.

She could hear them quickly advancing but their feet were uncertain - they didn't know where she was.

...Three of them. One was heavier, stronger. She needed to take him out first. Thankfully, he was ahead of the other two.

Just as they were about to come around the corner, Nami swung her staff out with all her strength, her pivoting foot digging into the dirt and grunting as the wood made contact with the buffon's stomach.

He fell down hard on his knees, wheezing and holding his belly. His two companions stood in shock for a moment. The moment Nami needed.

Picking the bag up with her staff, she backed up a little before running towards the kneeling man, his head still bent and groaning.

As the other two goons growled and raised their swords to attack, she jumped. Her foot landed on the man's lowered shoulder - "Arigato!" she thanked with a smirk - to push against it to flip over the two other men.

She hit the ground running, the sack sliding down the length of her stick and bumping off her back. Her smirk widened as she reached a clearing. This didn't go exactly how she planned it but the job was a succe-

Something grabbed her ankle and Nami lost her balance, falling face first and biting her lip hard in the process. The bag and her weapon slid some feet away, out of her reach.

"And where do you think you're going, Cat Burglar Nami?" a squeaky voice came from above. Nami stiffened, wide eyes seeking the owner of the voice.

Buggy the Clown.

So she underestimated him. From first glance, he was exactly what his namesake implied. If he wasn't terrorizing small villages in the East Blue, Nami wouldn't even consider him a pirate.

It was easy, actually, to sneak into one of the houses he had pillaged and steal the map from right under his big red nose. She could've left with just that but couldn't ignore that glint of gold she had seen in one of the rooms. His goons, however, had stumbled across her gathering the treasure and were soon after her.

Now their captain was here. He sat on one of the rooftops, knives in one hand, the other hand…

Nami grimaced as the hand on her ankle grew tighter. "Taking off with my treasures are ya, Cat Burglar Nami?"

The pirate watched as she struggled to get the hand off, pushing at it with her foot while reaching for the treasure bag.

"Kyahahaha!" Buggy cackled. "With my bara bara no mi ability, I'm able to flashily split any part of my body and capture anyone who tries to steal my treasure!" He held up his knives and they gleamed in the light.

"No matter who they are," Buggy continued, spreading his arms to his sides, "I won't let them live!"

He suddenly dived off the roof, flying towards her with his sharp weapons in hand.

Nami finally managed to grab the end of her bo staff to slide the bag of treasure towards her. Just as Buggy swooped down to cut her, she lifted the sack so that the knives sliced through the thick cloth, pounds of gold coins and expensive metals spilling out onto Nami's face. She gritted her teeth as one particularly heavy goblet collided with her cheek. That was going to bruise.

Smartly reasoning that this pirate's treasure wasn't worth her life, Nami finally freed her ankle from Buggy's clutches when she realized his grip had loosened. She had what she really needed anyway, and patted the spot discreetly to make sure it was still there.

She struggled to get up but two pairs of hairy legs were suddenly blocking her view of her escape route. She looked up and made a face. The two goons had caught up.

Behind her, Buggy laughed his squeaky and hoarse laugh. "Thought you could get away, Nami? You shouldn't underestimate the flashy and intelligent Captain Buggy!"

"You're amazing, Captain Buggy!" exclaimed one member.

"Yeah! I'm so happy to follow a great captain like you! You even knew where she would try to go!"

Nami sweat-dropped as Buggy scratched his head abashedly, laughing off the compliments. "Well, of course, my flashy men! Why would you ever doubt me?"

He looked down at Nami. "Now, what should we do with this little cat thief?"

They all chuckled darkly, their shadows coming over the girl on the ground.

Nami lowered her head, her face contorting into different expressions before settling on one of angry acceptance. She dismantled her staff and slid them smoothly into their straps. As Buggy and his men advanced, her hand gripped on the long sleeve of the shirt she wore.

"Oh? Have a flashy trick up your sleeve?" Buggy cackled, lifting one of his knives.

Nami stayed silent, glaring up at him. She pulled up her sleeve and watched as their faces transformed.

X.

"Zooorrrooo."

"... What is it, Luffy?"

"I'm hungry," Luffy whined weakly.

Zoro's eyebrow twitched over his closed eyes. "You ate all of our provisions, dumbass," he stated.

The swordsman settled back onto the boat's side, arms cushioning his head. Not for the first time - and he was sure it wouldn't be the last - he wondered if he had made the right decision in choosing to follow this guy. He actually had almost turned back when he had seen the "ship" that his captain had sailed in and was expecting them to sail in to get to the next island.

After a moment, Zoro's eyes shot open. He turned to Luffy, who was sitting at the bowsprit of the boat.

"Oi. Do you even know where we're going?" he asked skeptically.

Luffy didn't even turn around. He looked up at the clear blue sky before replying, "Hmmm… nope!"

Before Zoro could yell, he continued, "We'll just go wherever the sea takes us. We'll find more adventures that way, shishishi."

Zoro sighed. This kid was too carefree. As far as he knew, they were supposed to be heading towards the Grand Line, where there were a bunch of pirates already waiting with ships bigger and better than the little skiff they had now. But that would be the least of their worries if they didn't even know how to get there.

"We need a navigator," he thought out loud. Luffy hummed in agreement.

"And a cook and a musician," Luffy added.

At the mention of a musician, Zoro laughed. "For what?"

"Every pirate ship needs one," Luffy explained. "For when we have parties or just to make us really happy as we sail."

"Alright," Zoro relented. "But we can't just drift around like this."

Zoro looked around but only saw blue all around them, the East Blue sea calm and quiet. Luffy turned to look at his First Mate as the former "Pirate Hunter" pointed in a random direction.

"How about we go this way?" Zoro asked.

Luffy cocked his head. "I didn't know you knew where the next island was."

"I don't," Zoro deadpanned, already taking out the paddles. "But maybe if we head West, we can find one. And maybe some food, too."

At the mention of food, Luffy got excited. "Yosh! Let's get going then!"

He placed a rubber hand on his straw hat and grinned as Zoro started rowing... South.

After an hour of the same landscape and still no sign of an island, Luffy grew bored. Zoro was still rowing, seeing it as a nice exercise to improve his arm strength.

"Ne, Zoro."

Zoro grunted.

"Tell me a story," Luffy said, lying on his stomach and kicking his feet up.

Zoro thought for a while. "I don't know any."

"Ehhh?" Luffy pouted. Then he piped up again, "What about your dream?"

At this Zoro smirked. "Dream?" he questioned.

"Hm," Luffy nodded.

"My dream… no, my ambition," the Pirate Hunter started, "Is to be the world's greatest swordsman. I made a promise to a friend..." he trailed off, scowling.

"To achieve that, though," Zoro continued, "I need to beat a certain man. I've been searching for him for a long time, but it turns out he only appears when he wants to. "

"Ooooh," Luffy let out in admiration. "You're gonna fight him, Zoro?"

"Yeah," Zoro affirmed. "And I won't let anyone stray me from my ambition. Not even you, Senchou."

"Well, I don't expect anything less from a nakama of the next Pirate King," Luffy stated, grinning ear-to-ear.

Zoro chuckled. "Aye aye, Captain."

They sailed some more in silence until Luffy's stomach growled. He rolled from his position at the front to lay beside Zoro, moaning and face exaggeratingly thin. Zoro ignored him, but couldn't deny the hunger gnawing at his stomach as well. They needed to find an island or they'd starve out here.

At that moment, a huge shadow swooped across their boat, blocking the sun. Zoro stopped rowing to look, Luffy already getting excited.

"That's a huge bird!" Luffy remarked, drooling. He turned to his companion.

"Zoro, let's eat it."

Zoro appraised the huge blue bird before shrugging. "Go for it."

Luffy had already stretched his arms up before he had even said 'go', grabbing onto the bird's beak like a grappling hook. Immediately, the bird started to freak out, wildly flapping its wings and moving side to side frantically to try and get away. The boat rocked dangerously to and fro.

"Oi, Luffy! Get a hold on that thing!"

"I'm try-y-ying!" The rubber boy was pulled roughly to the side. "Whoa! Baka bird, hold still so we can eat you!"

In danger of falling into the sea, Luffy snapped his body up to the flying creature, wrapping his hands around its neck.

"Shishishi! Gotcha!" he laughed, triumphant about his catch. But the bird kept flying, now with a rubber man on its back.

Luffy looked down and saw the mop of green hair hollering at him. He considered wrapping his arms around the bird's wings to stop it from flying but then he would fall into the ocean. And Zoro was far.

And getting farther.

Uh oh.

"Oi! Baka bird! Go back!"

The bird kept flying, and from this new height, Luffy could see an island not too far off from where Zoro was still drifting. An idea formed in his head.

"Zoro!" Luffy hollered down, before he got too far. "Follow the bird! He's going to an island!"

Luffy patted the bird's head. "Sorry for calling you stupid."

After a second, he sighed almost reluctantly. "And don't worry, I won't eat you anymore."

The bird cawed.

From below, Zoro had to resist facepalming. Still, he sat down and quickly started rowing, following the blue bird and the rubber boy. It wasn't like it was a choice. He had resigned to his fate, realizing now that he was binded (probably forever) with the straw hat-wearing idiot that was his captain.

X.

Buggy stumbled back, falling on his butt then scooting further away from the girl. He felt a cold sweat run down his back and fear encompass his body. This girl… so the rumors were true?!

No, no, no. How could she… but it was there, clear as day.

 _She's part of_ _ **Arlong**_ ' _s crew?_ Buggy thought, gulping. _This is bad! I didn't believe it before but..._

He could hear his men start to grow confused at his behavior. They had initially been surprised at such a mark on the pretty girl's arm but held no knowledge of what it meant.

"Oi, Captain Buggy! What's going on? Aren't we going to teach her a lesson?"

"Yeah! We need to make sure she doesn't pull a stunt like that again!"

As they spoke, more men from Buggy's crew came running to the clearing, surrounding them.

"What's going, Captain Buggy?"

"Did this girly here do something?"

"Buggy-sama! Are you okay?"

 _Shiiiit!_ Buggy panicked internally. _I can't act weak in front of my men!They view me as their great Captain, which I flashily am of course, but right now-! I can't do anything to this girl! What should I do, what should I do, dammit?!_

As Buggy had a small meltdown, Nami pulled down her sleeve with a grunt. Eyes closed, she swallowed the resentment that climbed up her throat and fought the urge to deny her affiliation with the monster.

"I'll be leaving now, Big Red Nose," she stated coldly

Buggy abruptly turned to stone. His crew also turned still, mouths agape in shock.

As Nami got up, dusting her clothes off, she was startled to find a floating hand pointing a knife at her throat.

"What did you call me?" Buggy asked slowly. His voice dripped with annoyance, a feeling he greatly welcomed compared to the cold fear that had taken him before.

His own men backed up, but were snickering.

"Now you've done it, girly," one of them said.

"Get'er Buggy-senchou!"

Nami frowned at the men before turning to look at Buggy. She could feel the knife at the back of her neck now.

"Who… has… a big red nose?!" Buggy spat out. The crossbones on his forehead crinkled as he scowled, angry.

Nami, undeterred, crossed her arms. "I'm surprised you can't see it yourself with how big it is."

Buggy's men all dropped to the floor comically.

Captain Buggy himself gritted his teeth. "I can kill you right here, right now, Nami!"

Nami narrowed her eyes. "I dare you."

The knife pressed against her neck. Buggy's hand started trembling. His crew urged him on.

"What're you waiting for, Captain Buggy?"

"Do it! She's just your typical thief!"

 _Shut up, you fools!_ Buggy secretly shouted in his mind. _Don't you all know anything? This girl is in Arlong's crew! Cat Burglar Nami… I heard she got her bounty after she and some fishman massacred a whole fleet of marines! And all for some money! If I touch her, Arlong's gonna know, and it's gonna be our heads! Gah! I can't do this!_

Slowly, Buggy's hand lowered the knife. Nami released a shallow breath she had been holding. That was close. It was hard to keep the act when every fiber of her being said to forget everything and run. But things were bigger than just her, she had realized a long time ago.

Buggy faced his crew, who all looked at him suspiciously.

"Listen up you bunch o' savages! I, Captain Buggy," he proclaimed, trying to save face. "Have decided to flashily spare this girl's life. Our treasure is safe and sound, the thief surrounded. But men… are we not honorable pirates?"

Nami scoffed loudly and Buggy gave her a look. _I'm trying to save your flashy ass,_ he gritted out in his mind.

Then continued out loud, "There is no need for violence here. This woman, after what we had threatened her with today, will run away with the inevitable fear of Captain Buggy and his flashily powerful crew. She will remember my name, my mercy - _our_ mercy towards her- and will never dare to transgress against us again!"

After his flashy speech, Buggy raised his arms and waited.

The gullible crew burst into tears.

"Captain!"

"What a merciful Captain we have!"

"You better be grateful girl!"

Nami stared at them with a look of bewilderment.

"If that's all then," she said, watching as Buggy received praise for his cowardice, "I'll be on my way."

In a flash, she swiped the half-full, ripped bag of treasure, left the fallen ones on the ground, and ran away.

"Yeah that's right! Run away! Remember our mercy!" the crew jeered, then turned to their proud captain, who had his eyes closed and nodding along to his crew's words.

"You're so generous, Captain!"

"Letting her leave with the map and the treasure!"

"We don't deserve him!" they cried.

Buggy, in the haze of glorification, finally registered what they said. His eyes shot open just in time to see Nami, through the crowd of men, stick her tongue out and pull down an eyelid mockingly before disappearing behind a building.

"W-Wait! No!" he squawked, hands on his face. "You stupid men! She wasn't supposed to flashily make off with the treasure and _definitely not the map_! Stop her!"

After wasting more time with perplexed glances at each other, the group finally realized how they were tricked.

"N-nani?! So she wasn't supposed to go with them?!"

"NO!" Buggy howled, his voice rising a pitch. "Now after her!"

Just as they readied their weapons and started to go the direction Nami went, a deformed shadow suddenly passed over the sun. The faint sound of someone shouting followed. Some of the men looked up while Buggy grew even angrier.

"What are you all looking at?! You're letting her get away!" he shrieked.

The men's faces quickly turned into ones of surprise, then fright.

"B-Buggy-sama-!" one of them yelled, simply pointing up at the sky.

Their leader finally looked up.

The sun blinded him at first, but then, as if in slow motion, the Clown pirate could see a boy clutching a straw hat on his head while falling to the ground, shouting something he couldn't hear over his loud thoughts of, _What in flashy hell?!_

He had time to notice an enormous blue bird flying above the boy, cawing once then flying further away. Buggy then only had a moment to mutter a small, "Oh," as a response to his crew, before the boy came crashing down in a huge, dusty boom.

X.

Luffy had realized he had to take other measures since the bird didn't want to stop. He had done what he could to warn the tiny dots he assumed were people that he was coming down, yelling, "Look out below!" But they had only stared up at him as he came down.

Despite the rough landing on a few people, however, the overall flight was pretty fun.

Luffy looked at the shocked faces, and wondered why they were all staring at him (as if he hadn't dropped 60 feet from the ground to stand up unharmed like it was normal). He also didn't notice that he had wiped out half of their men instead of a "few."

… Huh?

Luffy blinked, staring at Buggy, who currently had his jaw on the floor as Luffy sweeped off the dust from his hat.

The rubber boy suddenly laughed, setting his precious hat on his head. "Wow! You have a really big red nose!"

The jaws of the men who weren't unconscious from Luffy's impromptu crash, dropped on the ground as they heavily perspired. Buggy could only grind his teeth in extreme annoyance. Two of these blasted kids in one day.

But as far as he knew, this kid wasn't a threat. He just got lucky with that fall, his men providing him a nice cushion. Meanwhile, that damn Cat Burglar was getting away.

"Move along, kid," Buggy spat out. "The villagers all ran away because I own this island now. I'm feeling merciful today so I'll spare your life, too. My priority right now is that Cat Burglar Nami - she has my only map to the Grand Line!"

He gestured to his men to continue running after her. "Let's go! We're wasting time! She can't go very far with that heavy treasure on her back! Her greed will be her downfall," he cackled.

Without warning, his upper body disconnected from his legs. Luffy's eyes widened.

"Ehhhh?! Are you a monster?!"

"You're wrong!" Buggy yelled at him even as he flew across the heads of his men. "I ate the bara bara no mi so now I'm a splitting man!"

"Sugee!" the rubber boy exclaimed. "That's a cool ability."

"Well now," Buggy stopped to look back with a blush, then realized the boy was distracting him.

"Stop that, Mugiwara!" he shouted, flabbergasted. His upper body went back to flying. "You can't get away, Nami!"

Buggy's lower body and crew also ran after the other half of him on foot, yelling obscenities, and leaving the rubber boy in their dust.

Luffy cocked his head.

"Nami...?" he wondered. Then slowly got excited, the clown's words echoing in his mind. "Grand Line map?!"

X.

Zoro cursed as he tied the boat to the post.

His captain's antics were already stressing him out. How could he just go flying off like that? And on a freaking bird?! The green-haired man sighed. Now he had to go look for the rubber man in this strange town.

He looked up from the rope he was tying after hearing someone's voice call out. He hadn't had a chance to explore the island, but judging by the almost vacant docks only containing a few other boats and the absence of people, this side of town seemed abandoned.

What he saw made him raise his brows in surprise and confusion.

It was that girl with orange hair. He remembered seeing her briefly back in Shells Town, coming to his execution post to take that little girl away. He had figured she was just another villager. What was she doing here? And why was she running?

"Y-yo-ou!" he heard her pant. "H-help!"

A second later, a knife sliced the air, just barely missing her shoulder.

Zoro followed the weapon's trajectory and let out a strangled noise.

 _What the hell?!_ he thought in disbelief.

A clown with only half a body was throwing knives down at the sprinting girl, and Zoro could hear him screaming at her to give something back. Several seconds later - in which Zoro is still trying to process the whole half-human-flying thing as Nami continues to dodge the clown's throws by running in predictable zig-zags - a horde of men cut around a house's corner and also ran straight for her.

Zoro briefly wondered what kind of trouble this girl got herself into even as he slowly advanced towards her and the flying clown.

The orange-haired girl glanced back to see her pursuers and Zoro watched as she tripped, landing hard on her stomach, unwilling to let go of the bag to catch herself.

 _Get up, get up,_ he found himself urging her silently. She was agonizingly slow.

He was conflicted on whether or not to put himself in the middle of this obvious mess as the girl started to pick herself up. He drummed his fingers on the hilts of his swords as he counted how many people caught up to her.

… It was a lot, and some looked strong. Well, he was aching for a good fight after the last disappointment.

An animalistic grin shaped his mouth as he finally ran forward, tying his black headband on tightly and unsheathing two of his katana before jumping in front of the girl to block several men's' swings. He heard their surprise and felt their astonishment turn into fear when he glowered up at them.

"All these men against one girl?" he growled disapprovingly.

From behind him he could hear the girl shift. Zoro turned his head slightly to the side. From the corner of his eye he could see her bottom lip slightly swollen and bleeding. A light bruise was starting to form on her left cheek and there were dirt streaks on her face from tripping.

"Oi, lady… are you okay?"

Nami took a while to answer, still a bit stunned. "Wh-wha…"

"Are you okay?" Zoro asked again, slightly louder. He faced the men again.

"U-un," she nodded her head despite him not able to see her.

Zoro smirked. "Alright, then. Stand back and let me fini-"

"Watch out!" Nami suddenly gasped, just as the sharp blade of Buggy's knife impaled hilt-deep into Zoro's thigh. He faltered back a step, but didn't break his hold on the men's swords.

"How dare you flashily ignore me?" the thrower hollered from above, outraged.

"I know who you are, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro! I would have never thought you would be working with this lowlife thief... but then again, she is a member of the flashiest crew in the East Blue," he murmured the last part.

Zoro rolled his eyes up to the sky to glance at the floating clown before grunting and focusing back on his opponents.

Buggy acted like a sword struck his heart, reeling from the pain of casual dismissal. _H-he just ignored me again!_

Nami gazed worriedly at the spreading dark liquid around the imbedded knife on Zoro's dark green pants then looked up as he spoke.

"Present to me a challenge, and maybe I'll spare your lives," Zoro offered almost nonchalantly.

When no one responded, he brought all seven of the first row of men's swords down and swiftly jumped on the horizontal barrier their weapons created. He crouched down on the metals before catapulting himself into the air, scaring Buggy in the process when the pirate clown saw the airborne swordsman next to him.

" _ **Nitoryuu**_ …" Zoro started, arms crossing at his sides, body coiled in preparation for a strike.

Below, Nami's internal barometer of danger rose off the charts and she quickly moved to get out of the coming harm's way. Whatever the move, it was going to be strong. Buggy's men stood naively below Zoro.

"... _ **Tobu Zangeki!**_ "

A powerful gust of wind formed by the piercing slash of both katana whirled through the air before heading towards Buggy's crew. For a silent moment, there was no indication of a hit.

Then the ground below them exploded into particles of dust and dirt. They all screamed as the very air sliced through their clothing, thin gashes appearing on their arms, faces, and legs. Blood from their wounds spurted onto the broken ground.

Buggy shrieked as he too was blown up and away, dust flying into his eyes. He, however, was not affected by the move due to his devil fruit ability.

Nami, in the process of running away, was shoved violently forward from the immense blast, the back of her shirt shredding and her back suffering the aftershock of Zoro's attack. Thankfully, it was only a few cuts since she had moved far enough away. Still, she crawled until she felt the hard wood of the dock on her knees then stumbled to the boat, treasure bag first.

Just as she was going to set sail, she looked back for a second at the man with the green hair, or more specifically the knife wound on his thigh.

She shook her head. He was a pirate. She shouldn't forget that.

Her gaze wandered to the bandages and ointment by her foot and she cursed.

x.

As the dust settled, the scene found Zoro standing at the center of the crater on the ground. The knife was still in his thigh. No one else was standing.

"Eh? Don't tell me that's all it took?" he muttered disappointingly. He slid his katana back into their sheaths.

A whistle from his left prompted him to slide to the right, dodging the knife aimed at his back.

"Kyahahaha! You don't actually think that's all it take to defeat me, Buggy the Clown, Pirate Hunter Zoro?!" Buggy snickered, still in the air.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, Zoro looked up and fixed Buggy a challenging look.

"Ah?" Zoro smirked. "So you're not as weak as I thought."

"You're flashy attacks won't work on me!" Buggy revealed. "I'm a splitting man, so nothing can cut me!"

"In that case," came a new voice from below. " _ **Gomu gomu no… Python!"**_

A pair of stretchy arms flew up towards Buggy, the appendages wrapping all around the length of the clown's upper torso as his eyes bugged out of his head. The hold tightened to a painful degree before Buggy was brought down hard to the ground.

"Gaugh!" Buggy howled, having not been hurt for a while.

"Shishishi! That was a good fight Zoro!" Luffy grinned at his First Mate, then frowned down at the clown. "That was a cowardly move, trying to attack from behind."

The floating hand that had been about to stab Zoro through the stomach strained open in pain and the silver weapon dropped with a clang to the ground.

Zoro acknowledged his captain's words with a nod and a smile. Then he fell to his good knee, suddenly panting hard. He took the knife roughly out of his thigh only to have more blood seep out of the wound.

Even while being constricted, Buggy choked out a raspy laugh. "I must've nicked an artery. It won't be long before he loses too much blood - he won't make it through the day."

Luffy examined Zoro's state before looking down at Buggy. "He's strong," the rubber boy replied confidently.

"What are you? A monster?" a familiar feminine voice asked disgustingly.

Luffy turned to find the same girl with the apricot hair he had met a few times before.

"He obviously needs to see a doctor," Nami continued, gesturing to Zoro. She tossed some items in front of Luffy before regarding all three of them coldly.

"But you won't find one here. This one," she pointed at the pirate with the round red nose, " and his band of pirates chased them away, along with the rest of the townspeople. And as if that wasn't enough, they destroyed their homes, took all their food and all their money - everything."

She huffed. "Pirates are all the same. They take away everything someone has, with no thought to how it affects them."

She unconsciously touched her shoulder. "How it scars them."

"You're a thief! You steal money, too," Buggy interjected.

"From no-good pirates like you," she responded. "It's different. I will never stoop to a pirate's level."

She leveled a look at Zoro, who had beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I don't like owing people. So I've decided to repay the favor. Think nothing more of it."

Zoro met her eyes with an even look of his own even as he panted heavily. After a while, she turned around.

"You should put pressure on that, by the way, before it gets worse. It'd be a shameful as a swordsman to bleed to death from a wound like that."

With that as her last words, she ran back to her boat.

Luffy, who had stayed quiet during her spiel, watched as she ran with her shirt shredded in the back before gazing down at the alcohol, bandages and ointment she had thrown at his feet.

Buggy suddenly squirmed viciously in Luffy's hold. "Wait right there! Grrrr… Nami! Give me back my treasure you flashy thief! You'll pay for this!"

Luffy's neck almost snapped from how fast he whipped it back up, staring as the girl clambered her boat.

"Nami?" he repeated. Then, with more assurance, "Nami!"

He quickly looked down at the red-nosed pirate. "That girl has the map of the Grand Line, right? That means she can read it, right?" he asked excitedly.

Zoro, who had immediately grabbed the alcohol to take a swig before pouring it on his wound so it wouldn't get affected, stopped midway of swathing his thigh. He knew where his captain was going with this - and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"Wait, Luf-"

"YES!" Buggy answered Luffy's previous inquiries, interrupting Zoro. "And it's mine! Let go of me, Mugiwara - she's getting away!"

Just as he said this, Nami unfurled her sails and started to drift away. Luffy saw his future navigator slip away.

"Wait!" His arms unwrapped from Buggy to start sprinting towards the docks. "Nami!"

...

" **Kyokugi:** _ **Yukemuri Satsujin Jiken!"**_

Luffy had taken only a few steps before a huge cloud of dust formed around him, blocking his view of the small boat and causing his eyes to water. A second later, something hard lands on his stomach, throwing him back a couple feet. He felt his hat fly off his head.

"Ack!" Luffy hacked, dust getting into his mouth. He started coughing. The sudden dust storm made it impossible to see anything. But he noticed it was going a certain direction.

Thinking quickly, Luffy twisted his body tightly all the way up like a rope, holding out his arms.

" _ **Gomu gomu no… Twister!"**_ he shouted as he let his body unravel back to its normal state, opposite of how the dust was spinning. With his arms at spread out and moving at a quick speed, his rubber movements created wind great enough to disperse the dirty cloud that had gathered around him. The crushed gravel settled back to the ground.

A quick glance at the sea told Luffy he was too late. He scratched his head, wondering who was the voice behind the annoying attack.

He turned to Zoro, remembering his condition and how the girl - Nami - had said he needed a professional's help.

What he found was Buggy. That is, all of him - his lower body had managed to find its counterpart - and a strange man who balanced on a bike with one wheel.

But no Zoro.

Luffy stared at the duo. "Hey, Big Red Nose-"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Where did Zoro go?"

"Oh?" Buggy's voice expressed deep satisfaction. "I just had one of my closest men take him somewhere more… peaceful to rest up."

"Oh, is that all?" Luffy smiled. "Maybe you're not so bad after all."

Buggy fell sideways comically.

 _How gullible is this kid?!_ He wondered in shock.

He came back up, appraising the boy. Right now, he looked like a lanky, weak, and idiotic kid. But Buggy knew there was something sinister behind that smile. He could feel it. Plus, he seemed to have eaten a Devil Fruit, and the clown could still remember the strength behind the constricting hold that same kid had on him not a minute ago.

There was more to this guy than met the eye.

Luffy picked his nose, flicking the booger to the side somewhere.

"Ne," Luffy started, "Could you show me where you put 'im? It's good that he rests and all, but we need to find a doctor first. Do you know where they might've gone? That Nami girl said they- … what's so funny?"

"You, Mugiwara!" Buggy cackled, slightly amused.

The acrobatic crewmate beside him stayed quiet, only his legs moving, balancing on his wheel.

Luffy scratched his head, confused, then started to panic.

Buggy noticed. "Ah, so you're not so thick-headed after all-"

"Where's my hat?!" Luffy suddenly demanded, his voice rising. "That weird dust storm blew it off!"

Buggy sweatdropped as the rubber boy searched the area frantically before seeing it hanging out on a tree branch above him.

"Ah, there it is! Mochi!" he called.

He stretched his arms up to it as Buggy looked on. He freaked out over a hat? But that particular hat looked familiar…

He looked from Luffy to the hat then back to Luffy as the boy happily picked it from the branch, dusted it off, then settled it on his head.

"Shishishi," Luffy chuckled, large grin on his face. That was familiar, too.

Buggy looked at the red ribbon circled around the base of the straw hat. Red ribbon. Red.

Luffy looked up at Buggy's sharp intake of air.

 _Damn that flashy Red-Haired pirate! No matter where I go, I can never get away from him!_ Buggy thought distastefully.

"Oi, Mugiwara."

"Hrm?" Luffy responded.

"Who gave you that hat? … Is he here now?"

Luffy took the said straw hat off his head to gaze at it, remembering the promise he made to a certain pirate.

"A friend entrusted me this hat when I was really little so it's precious to me. I promised to give it back one day, after I've become a great pirate. It's my treasure."

Buggy resisted rolling his eyes. Of course that Akagami would influence a kid to be a pirate at such a young age.

"Did this friend have red hair, a really snarky and arrogant attitude, and wore maybe a cape to show how flashy he was?" Buggy described bitterly.

Luffy shook his head. "The first and last part, yeah, but he was a really awesome guy."

Buggy pinched his red nose. "Was it Akagami no Shanks?"

"H-how do you know Shanks?!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

Buggy chuckled a little, hands on his hips. "Know him? He and I used to be friends on the Pirate King's ship!" he crowed, before growing solemn. "That is, before he ruined my dreams of finding a great amount of treasure and made me lose my ability to swim, that bastard!"

Luffy's eyes transformed into sparkles, then showed some skepticism. "No way! A weakling like you on the Pirate King's ship? Shanks, I can understand-"

"Hey!" Buggy yelled, indignant. "I'll have you know I can match up flashily to that Red-Haired anytime, any day!"

"Shanks is the coolest pirate ever! You'd need to be a lot stronger than-"

"Alright, enough!" Buggy huffed out, little spurts of angry ticks coming from his head.

He grinned slyly. "Since you're so cocky, Mugiwara, then I'm sure it won't come as a shock to you to know that your first crewmate, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro... is dead!"

Luffy cocked his head, perplexed.

It wasn't the reaction Buggy was expecting.

"I thought you said-"

"Never mind what I said!" Buggy interjected, exasperated. "Your friend is dead, Mugiwara! And you will soon be too!"

"..."

"..."

"For a clown, your jokes are pretty lame," Luffy deadpanned.

"Nani?!" Buggy squeaked out.

"Zoro's not dead…"

The pirate clown shook his head in mock pity, finally understanding. "Listen, Mugiwara, denial is the first part of accepting-"

"He's right behind you."

"... WHAT?!"

Buggy swiveled only his top torso around to find Zoro leaning heavily against one of the buildings, eyes glaring at Buggy and promising a painful death.

"Gyahhhhh!" Buggy screamed, mouth gaping in absolute shock. His lower body came around to meet his upper one, facing the swordsman.

"Yo, Zoro," Luffy chirped. "I thought you were taking a nap. Did ya find a doctor?"

Zoro panted, blood seeping now from his freshly bandaged wound. He didn't say a word, just reached around the corner of the building to drag out a man wearing a fuzzy white onesie and a huge lion with a red mane.

Both of them had cut marks and bruises that could easily be traced back to Zoro's sheathed katana.

The lion whimpered and Zoro threw both companions at Buggy.

"Mohji! Richie!" Buggy shrieked, observing their wounds. "What happened?!"

Mohji spoke up as his lion cowered behind him in an effort to hide from Zoro's glare.

"Well…"

X.

 _ **[Six minutes earlier…]**_

"Guh! He's heavy!" Mohji cried out, holding his back in pain and hearing it crack when he bent back. Nonetheless, he had successfully put the wounded swordsman onto Richie's back.

Mohji cursed Cabaji once again. This was a simple plan, and yet it almost went all wrong.

Cabaji said he'd give them a few minutes - plenty of time - before the dust settled to get Roronoa while he was incapacitated. The quiet acrobat had then created the dust storm by twirling his swords.

While they would get the straw hat's only crewmate, Cabaji would return Buggy's lower half and the two would take care of the rest.

Simple enough.

But the small dust storm didn't even last a full minute - much less 30 seconds.

And the swordsman had certainly not been easy to deal with. Even with the dust all around him, he was fully alert and had even sliced a bit off Richie's mane before Mohji decided to play dirty. He had to put his full weight into Roronoa's wound, then had Richie sink his claws into it until the guy all but passed out from the pain.

They had escaped just as the straw hat boy turned around to look for his First Mate.

Now they were on their way to get rid of him. Mohji had kept a stone cage somewhere not too far from here… then they could drop him into the ocean.

This was the Buggy Pirates' territory, after all. Any trespassers would face the consequences, and having the Pirate Hunter here only meant trouble they didn't want.

What Mohji and Richie didn't know was that Zoro was very much awake… and extremely angry at being handled the way he was. He hung sideways on the lion's back, fingernails slightly scraping the ground.

As they walked through town, however, Zoro took note on how the town was not bustling with people as it should be. In fact, the homes that weren't destroyed were abandoned. Not a soul walked the paths of what appeared to be the marketplace. Wait… something moved in that building. A rock skittered into the street.

Zoro narrowed his eyes but was then distracted by something glinting in the sunlight and he inclined his head to the side just a little bit to see a cannon of some kind, placed on a rooftop. It was decorated grandly with red and blue stars, its mouth facing one of the buildings. He glanced at one of the houses in its range and confirmed what he had already suspected.

He went back to being limp.

"Once we get rid of Roronoa, Buggy will praise us, Richie," Mohji beamed, patting his lion's head. "We can finally get promoted to Vice Captains. Then we'll show that Cabaji, always thinking he's better than us… Ah-ha. Here we are."

Zoro opened one eye to see the corner of what seemed to be the cage that the lion tamer talked about. He closed his eye again.

Mohji stretched as Richie lowered his belly to the ground. "Thanks, Rich, but that'll do little to help. This guy's really heavy," he complained.

Zoro felt himself being lifted by the arms, then put across the man's back, his feet dragging on the floor.

He didn't waste any time.

His arms already in an opportune position, he quickly put the fuzzy guy in a choke hold.

Zoro heard the beast behind him move to attack and quickly turned around, using the guy as a shield. His thigh throbbed and he gritted his teeth. He had to end this quickly.

The lion roared, and Mohji quickly put his hand up to stop the incoming melee to his face. "Stay, Richie! It's me, your master! Don't attack!"

The lion abruptly did as he asked.

Zoro, in turn, shoved the man away, his back to the cage, then placed his hand non-discretely to his katana.

Mohji took up a shaky defensive stance beside his giant lion.

Zoro regarded them calmly, leaning against the cage, his gaze on the ground below him.

"So," Zoro finally said, and Mohji jumped.

Richie growled.

"You're a beast tamer, huh?"

Mohji narrowed his eyes and had a swell of confidence.

"The best," he answered in an even voice. "I can tame any beast. It's why Captain Buggy chose me to be in his crew. "

"Oh?" Zoro inquired.

Then a smirk that could only be described as beastly spread across his face. His eyes, partly covered by his black bandana, seemed to glow red like a demon's. He unsheathed his swords and put Wado Ichimonji to his mouth.

He spoke audibly despite the katana in his mouth. "See if you can tame this one..."

Mohji abruptly stepped back, unable to believe his eyes. Beside him, Richie lowered his head and whimpered in a sign of submission.

" _ **Santoryu... Tora Gari!"**_

Mohji's screams and Richie's roars echoed through the vacant town.

X.

 _ **[In the present...]**_

Mohji shivered with barely concealed fear, remembering how the very aura of a tiger had appeared behind the swordsman as he executed his attack.

He didn't even have a chance in putting Roronoa Zoro in a cage.

Buggy gritted his teeth, hating how the tables had turned. He had thought they were at an advantage, but that Straw Hat and Pirate Hunter were foiling everything. He stepped back a little.

Zoro finally spoke, panting. "So… that's how… you did it."

He was staring straight at Buggy and the Clown Captain gulped, having an inkling as to what he was talking about.

"Your weapon… that cannon… the townspeople…" Zoro took a deep breath. "You used that cannon to destroy the town. I knew it had to be… something stronger… than you."

Buggy only grinded his teeth more, unsure of whether to be angry at all the insults to his unimaginable strength or panicked that they had figured everything out. If he found his special Buggy cannon…

"What are you talking about Zoro?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

When he had unceremoniously fallen to the town's center, he had noticed the abandoned buildings but figured that there had been a battle of some sort.

Zoro turned to him. "This clown and his crew aren't doing any good here, Luffy. The people are still here, but in hiding," he said, recalling the ghost of a figure he had seen behind the rubble.

"It's your call, but I think the only way to draw out a doc would be to get rid of them." The wounded swordsman pointed at Buggy and his diminished crew of three.

At his words, Buggy started to sweat. "W-wait just a second! There's no need to do such a thing," he chuckled nervously. "I can just show you to where the people are hiding! "

Luffy stared at them. "Really?"

 _I just need more time to think! Then I'll find a way to get rid of those two!_ Buggy thought, while he replied to Luffy, "W-well of course! Then we'll be on our way."

"Is this really okay, Captain Buggy?" Mohji whispered out of earshot of the two straw hats.

Then Cabaji finally spoke.

"There's no need, Buggy-sama. Outnumbered, and one weakened - I'll take care of these two right now."

He raised his two swords, and before Buggy can make a sound, the acrobat maneuvered to Zoro, who had sat down with his back to the wall of the building.

Quick as lightning, Zoro drew his katana with one hand and parried Cabaji's attack. They were locked for a second more before Zoro pushed him back, standing in the process and panting hard.

"Your strong," Cabaji acknowledged. "But that wound looks pretty bad. A while longer and you'll collapse."

His long legs pedaled back and forth on the unicycle. "Let's make this quick."

Zoro smirked. "That's my line."

He reached for his two other swords but found that he couldn't.

"What?" he thought aloud. Two gloved hands were holding his arms and were forcing them behind his back. Zoro grunted, pushing against them.

From behind Cabaji, Buggy started to snicker. His hands were missing, arms crossed in front of him. "Finish him, Cabaji!"

With a nod, Cabaji took a deep breath. _**Kyokugi: Kaji Oyagi,**_ he thought silently as his chest and cheeks puffed out.

Zoro struggled in Buggy's hold. He looked up just in time to see a burst of red-orange fire come out of his opponent's mouth. He ducked just in time, the flames singing off the tops of his hair, and rolled away.

But that was proven useless as Cabaji's string of flames followed him. He rolled away again, standing made hard by the hands constricting his arms.

Buggy continued to snicker, watching the unfair battle. _I knew I could count on Cabaji. Now all we need to take care of is that Mugi- GAUH!_

Gasping at air but finding that he couldn't breath, Buggy choked before letting out a small squeak. A pain like no other originated from his groin until all he could focus on was the pain. Tiny tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as he unconsciously brought his hands back to him to hold his nether regions, freeing Zoro in the process.

Luffy huffed, eyes closed, stretching his leg back.

"Don't interfere," he stated simply, holding his hat.

Buggy dropped to the ground, scrunching in pain. _Damn you, Mugiwaraaa!_

The beaten Mohji and Richie held their own nether regions as they cringed, feeling the pain themselves.

Meanwhile, Zoro, with his hands free, unsheathed his swords when Cabaji ran out of fuel. He would end this with one move, one he'd been working on for his future opponent, the strongest swordsman in the world.

"If I can't beat people like you, then I should give up my dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman," he stated.

"I'm sorry to see that dream end," Cabaji responded. He wheeled powerfully towards Zoro, ready to end the duel. Zoro ran towards him, his two katana in each hand and one in his mouth.

" _ **Ichirin Zashi**_ _!_

" _ **Oni Giri!**_ "

They swung past each other, a powerful gust of wind flowing past the two. Zoro walked forward a few more steps, slowly sheathing his swords.

A second later, Cabaji's wheel split in half and the acrobat fell, his chest sustaining three deadly cuts through the skin. Despite the heavy bleeding, he seemed to be breathing, albeit shallowly.

"Guess I'm really motivated," Zoro said to the defeated man on the ground.

Luffy chuckled, having enjoyed the fight. "Nice, Zoro!"

Zoro shot him a tired smile. "And what've you been doing all day, Captain? Slacking off while I do all the work?"

He didn't wait for Luffy to answer, sinking down to his knees before lying down on the ground. "I need a nap," he said, before falling unconscious.

"Zoro!" Luffy called, running up to him. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face and his bandage was soaked red.

Luffy turned to Buggy, who was still hunched on the ground.

"Oi, Big Nose! You said you were going to bring us to a doctor. Show me the way," Luffy demanded.

He picked up his First Mate and swung his limp arm around his neck and wrapping a rubber arm around his torso - and holding up his weight effortlessly, Mohji bitterly noted.

Buggy snarled. "Like I actually would-"

He almost jumped when a pair of sandals came into his ground view. Luffy bent down to look down at Buggy, still carrying Zoro.

Without another word, he pinched the clown's nose roughly and held it. Buggy panicked immediately. Mohji could only look on, afraid of what the rubber captain could do after his First Mate defeated two of Buggy's strongest members.

"You promised," Luffy said.

 _I did no such thing!_ Buggy screamed internally.

"A-Anh! B-buait Boogirara! Albight, I'll boo it!" Buggy nasally gasped out.

Luffy promptly let go. Buggy's nose throbbed, even bigger and more scarlet than before.

"What's the big deal?!" he yelled, holding his nose, but Luffy had already started walking.

"Come on already," the rubber boy said impatiently.

Though Luffy's back was turned, Buggy didn't try to run away. He had a feeling the straw-hatted boy would have other means to get him to save his nakama.

For now, Buggy knew, there was only one way to beat Straw Hat. .

He whispered to Mohji a set of directions, making the beast tamer smirk.

"That'll get 'em, Captain Buggy," he snickered.

"Hey! Stop talking Big Nose! Let's go!"

"Alright, alright," Buggy replied, annoyed.

He ran past the rubber boy and begrudgingly led the way. Mohji and Richie stayed behind the two, grabbing the fallen Cabaji then slipping away silently.

X.

"Gahh, I should've eaten that bird," Luffy complained, tongue out in the hot sun. He hadn't eaten since the last island and his energy was quickly depleting.

Zoro stayed silent on his side, still unconscious.

"Oi, Big Nose, when are we getting to where the people are? I need food."

"It's Captain Buggy. Bug-gy," said the clown captain, "and we're almost there, Mugiwara."

He turned to the side, rubbing his hands together. _And when we get there, I'll blast you and that flashy swordsman out of this island for good, gyahahaha,_ Buggy thought.

"Nani? Blast us?" Luffy asked, shooting the clown a strange look.

 _Shiiit! I said that outloud!_

Buggy cleared his throat. "No, no, I said we need to go fast...er. For the good of your friend," he lied horribly.

Luffy stared at him as they walked, and a light sheen of sweat came from Buggy' forehead.

"Hmm… alright then. But you're the being really slow," Luffy said, speeding up slightly.

Buggy let out a slow breath. _Thank goodness this kid's slow._

His eyes wandered discreetly up and down the rooftops of the destroyed homes. _Where are they?_

Noticing that they were getting close to the "hidden" place, Buggy started trailing back. Luffy noticed.

"Where are you going?" he asked, suspicious.

"It's better if I stay back here. If they see me, they'll think you're also pirate and won't treat your friend there." He kept backing up.

Luffy cocked his head. "But I _am_ a pirate."

Buggy sighed, exasperated. "Listen, Mugiwara-"

A shout of surprise came from one of the bigger of the abandoned buildings. Luffy turned to the sound and Buggy quickly ducked around a corner, disappearing in an alley.

A short man with poofy white hair came strolling out of the broken doorway wearing bulky brown armor, his arms out in happiness. Luffy looked on with confusion as more people streamed out from other buildings to surround him and Zoro.

"What's going on?" the rubber boy wondered.

"So what Reo said was right! A green-haired swordsman! And you, boy!" the old man said.

"What are you talking about, Ossan? Do I know you?"

"Oh, excuse my manners! I am Boodle, mayor of Orange Town! We have been fighting the Buggy Pirates for a long time before you and your friend here saved us!"

"Ah, you're the mayor?" Luffy looked around at the people crowding around him. "Is there a doctor here that can take care of Zoro's wound?"

"Ah yes!" The man's eyes glanced at Zoro's state before hardening. "Forgive me for wasting time. He needs to see a doctor. Quickly now," he ushered Luffy into a narrow space between two wooden columns.

Upon entering the small space, Luffy could see the remainder of two beds in a corner of the makeshift room.

"Put him here," the mayor directed, pointing at one of the cots.

After setting him down, Luffy stepped back as two people with white gloves examined his wound.

"How did he survive this long?" one of them muttered. "He lost a lot of blood."

Luffy, hearing the comment, grinned. "Zoro's strong," he said simply.

The doctors sweatdropped, then went to work disinfecting and stitching the wound.

"In any case," the mayor said, "it's a good thing you got here in time."

The mayor explained to Luffy how one of their scouts had seen Zoro fight Mohji, then saw how a guy with a straw hat kicked Buggy the Pirate to the ground. The boy had all but sprinted back to the mayor and the people to tell them that they were being saved.

"Don't mention it," Luffy replied when the mayor thanked him. "Zoro did most of it, anyway."

At that moment, his stomach growled loudly.

"Ne, Ossan," he said weakly. "You have any meat I can eat?"

The mayor chuckled a little before calling one of the people who wanted to see their saviors. They went out and came back with two other people, carrying big plates of seafood - tuna, scallops, crab, and jumbo shrimp.

"It's not much," the mayor started as Luffy drooled, "and all we could do was fish when the pirates weren't at the island's coast."

Luffy was already on his second plate by the time he finished talking. "Ish delishious, ossan," he reassured. He swallowed and sighed in satisfaction, eating a bit slower, watching as the doctors worked.

"So that Big Nose Buggy did all this?" he asked, gulfing on crab meat.

The mayor nodded, solemn. "It's been a week since he came, him and all of his thugs, and bombed all of our homes with what he called his 'special Boggy cannon'."

"Special Boggy cannon?"

"Mm," Boodle affirmed. "It was destructive enough to destroy two houses on impact and crumble the surrounding ones. We fought back, but by then it was too late. We've been in hiding ever since."

The old man sighed. "You can't imagine my gratitude-"

He stopped when he heard a snore coming from the boy.

His stomach was inflated to the point that his hands could barely touch the other around it. His straw hat shaded his eyes but a small bubble appeared from underneath it.

The mayor smiled just as the doctors announced they were done. The mayor sent some more people to gather food for when the swordsman would wake up. After placing the food by the small cot, they all went out to leave Luffy and Zoro to rest.

x.

Nami adjusted the sails, nervously analyzing the position of the clouds and feeling the wind course through her hair. She sighed when she realized that, unless a miraculous draft came from the East, it would take a few more days to get to Cocoyashi. Right now, she was moving against both the wind and the sea.

She palmed the paddle in her hand, arms sore from paddling for what seemed like hours. A glance around her told her she was alone, drifting in the vast sea, but that still didn't stop her from being paranoid.

When she's gone for too long, Arlong sends his fishmen.

She's relieved then, when about a mile away, she sees a strip of land show up. A rest stop.

"Land Ho," she said quietly to herself.

She'll rest, but for a little while. It'd be better than sailing out in the open on this little boat. She needed it for the journey ahead,

It was honestly a wonder she didn't encounter any of the rare sea monsters. But the Grand Line would be worse in terms of that. She patted her stomach again, ensuring for the umpteenth time that it was there. One trip on the Grand Line amounted to several trips on the East Blue sea in terms of treasure, though.

The cuts on her back stung a little as she rowed, battling the current. When she got near land, She went around the island to land on a small beach with shallow water. She tied the boat to one of the big boulders and splashed her way to the sand.

A craggy cliff towered above her, and Nami began to search for another way up to the grassy top.

A voice stopped her search.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

She waited, holding her breath, unreasonably convincing herself she wasn't the one being called on. There was a silence and the voice spoke again.

"What business do you have on this island?"

Nami looked around, trying to find where the voice came from.

"Up here!" the voice hollered, sounding a little off-put. She squinted up, shading her eyes from the sun, to see at a guy standing at the top of the cliff.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He wore brown overalls and a white sash, a satchel slung over his shoulder. The first thing she remarked about him, however, was his nose, which was quite long, extending from his face and pointing up as the guy crossed his arms and raised his chin haughtily.

A black pirate flag with a jolly roger resembling someone screaming waved behind him.

 _So he 's a pirate,_ Nami thought. Immediately, she resented him, but she drowned her hate with positive thoughts of nabbing more treasure.

The young man began to laugh, goggles glinting in the sunlight.

"I am Captain Usopp, leader of the pirate crew that conquered this island. State your business, or face the wrath of my 80 million men!"

She sweatdropped at the obvious lie. _Nevermind._

X.

Luffy woke to the sound of panicked shouting and a familiar squeaky laugh. He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

He looked to the side to find his First Mate awake, good-as-new and stuffing his mouth with fish and booze. His pants also seemed to have been washed, the blood stains gone. A white cloth was wrapped tightly on his right thigh.

Luffy blinked. The noise outside escalated.

Zoro finally looked up to meet his captain's eyes. "Your turn," he said simply, before gorging more on the food.

Luffy laughed before getting up and ambling towards the exit. For a second he couldn't see. The sun was in his eyes until he moved to the right.

Then he was met with the sight of the united band of Buggy Pirates, up on a rooftop,

colorful cannon beside them. The smirked arrogantly down at the people, who were scrambling to get their families out of their hiding places. The mouth of the cannon pointed down at them.

"Gyahahaha! Mugiwara! So you're still here, too, huh? Even better," Buggy exclaimed with glee when he saw the familiar straw hat.

"Buggy? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing you flashy fool? I'm going to destroy all of you!"

"Why?" Luffy asked simply. "Didn't you already take everything from them?"

"W-why?" Buggy repeated, stumped for a second. "B-because I'm a pirate!"

At his words, Luffy was suddenly reminded of the orange-haired girl's words: _They take away everything someone has, with no thought to how it affects them._

Luffy clenched his fists, glaring up at Buggy. "I'm gonna blast your ass outta here."

Buggy didn't even falter. "Don't give such a scary look, Mugiwara. Aren't you a pirate yourself? I know that bastard Shanks probably said something different but this is life. It's good you got to learn early."

He signaled Mohji to light the fuse. "Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy that life. I'd like to flashily introduce you to my own special weapon, Mugiwara… behold! The Boggy Cannon!"

At his announcement, the cannon exploded with a flurry of sparks. It headed towards Luffy and the mayor, who had been watching the whole scene, gasped.

"Watch out, boy!"

" _ **Gomu gomu no… fusen**_!"

Boodle gaped in shock as Luffy inflated his whole body even bigger than when he had finished eating. The people's mouths fell open, as well as Buggy's crew, when the cannon ball ricocheted harmlessly off of his rubber stomach.

Shock turned to fear and regret for Buggy and his crew when they saw the cannonball head right back toward them.

"Flashy hell."

The impact crumbled the roof under their feet and left them black with soot. Buggy groaned while trying to stand. He coughed a bit of smoke. His crew was also picking themselves up, still amazingly conscious.

Buggy then smartly realized that the boy would make good on his word and tried to run away. He hopped over the rocks but wasn't fast enough.

Luffy exhaled air, deflating. He wasted no time in preparing his next move.

"Oi, Buggy!" Luffy shouted.

"M-matte, Mugiwara!"

" _ **Gomu gomu no… Bazooooookkkaaa**_ _!"_

Luffy's arm stretched the distance, palms wide open, to propel Buggy along with his three companions so high and far up that they disappeared as a little star in the sky.

"Shishishi, bye Big Nose!"

After snapping his arms back, Luffy turned to the townspeople with a wide grin. Instead of joyful faces, however, he found ones that were fearful and anxious. Some even looked angry.

"Huh?" Luffy wondered, puzzled at the shift in moods.

"Luffy."

He glanced up at on of the broken doorways to find Zoro walking with his back towards him, hands light on his swords.

"I think we have to go," Zoro said cautiously.

The mayor, beside them, looked puzzled at the people's behavior.

"What's going on?" Boodle demanded. "This is no way to treat people that saved us from pirates."

"Weren't you listening, mayor?" one of them spoke up. "They _are_ pirates. That pirate with the big nose said so."

The mayor was speechless for a moment. "W-well, yes, but…"

They were right, of course, but these pirates…

"Get away from them, mayor Boodle," a woman said.

"B-but-"

"Let's go, Zoro," Luffy finally said.

Zoro nodded.

"W-wait!" the mayor quickly shouted. "There's been a misunderstanding…"

Luffy stopped, turning to face the mayor with a grin. "There is no misunderstanding."

He looked at the crowd and gave them a large grin, touching the top of his hat, his treasure.

"We're pirates," he said firmly, clearly. Zoro ran ahead, hearing the words of his captain and smirking. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the next Pirate King!"

With that, Luffy ran off, leaving the crowd as well as the mayor stunned. After a minute, the people started to run after the two, pickets and swords out with orders to capture them, leaving the mayor laughing at the strange boy with the straw hat.

"Thank you both," he muttered quietly. Never had he seen his people so fiercely protective and united. It made him have hope - this town could be built back up even stronger than before.

Luffy laughed, catching up to Zoro.

All of a sudden, the swordsman turned left. Luffy skidded to a stop.

"Oi, Zoro! You're going the wrong way!"

Needless to say, it took them a while to get back to their boat, but when they sailed off, Luffy waved back at the angry people on shore.

"They're good people," Luffy stated.

Zoro shot him a strange look, lying back at the edge of their boat in preparation for a nap. "Whatever you say, Cap," he yawned.

"Shishishi."

 **X.**

 **End of Chapter 3**

 **X.**


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